Odisha govt revises train accident death toll to 288

The Odisha government on Tuesday revised the death toll in the Balasore train crash to 288.

Speaking to reporters, Chief Secretary PK Jena said, 275 deaths were confirmed till Monday, and after verification of bodies, the figure was raised to 288. However, earlier in the day, the Railway Ministry said that the death toll was 278, stating that three more people have succumbed to their injuries.

Jena said that 205 bodies of the the total 288 have been identified so far and handed over to their families.

The remaining 83 bodies were kept at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar and other hospitals for identification, he said.

"We have received many queries on the helpline numbers released by the government. We are optimistic that all bodies will be identified," Jena said.

He said the state government was bearing the cost of treatment of the injured, and transportation of bodies to respective destinations.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik sanctioned Rs 1.95 crore for ex-gratia payment to the families of 39 deceased persons from Odisha.

According to the government, Rs 5 lakh will be given to the kin of each deceased persons as ex-gratia. The money was being provided from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, also a former Railway Minister, questioned the figures, stating that 61 people from her state have died and 182 others are still missing.

With PTI inputs