By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR:The death toll in the tragic train crash in Balasore has reached 288 with verification of more bodies. 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.
Jena said that 205 bodies of 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.
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 (CMRF).
