Officials from Southern Railways, police and Madurai district administration struggled to identify the nine persons who were charred to death in a fire in the railway coach in Madurai junction on August 26.
The authorities were confronted by more than one challenge. The foremost was that all the nine bodies were charred beyond recognition. Besides, officials here found it difficult in interacting with the survivors as language remained a big barrier.
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However, Collector M.S. Sangeetha entrusted that task to Corporation Commissioner V.J. Praveen Kumar who was conversant with Hindi.
The team, including the District Revenue Officer, Sakthivel and other Revenue officials had to slog for most part of the day.
All the information the officials initially had was that 63 persons — 55 tourists and eight support staff of the tour operator - had travelled in the coach. While nine had died, the officials managed to assemble 39 persons at the railway station waiting hall. While six of the injured were admitted to Railway Hospital, two were taken to Government Rajaji Hospital.
With seven of them found to be missing, confusion started in identifying the completely charred bodies. Mobile phones of the missing persons were also not reachable, the Collector said.
However, without giving up, the officials contacted their counterparts in Uttar Pradesh and got the contact numbers of the relatives of those who had travelled in the coach. Photographs of passengers were received from Uttar Pradesh. “We identified a few deceased persons with that of the photographs. One of them was identified with the ring and some others with the clothes,” the Commissioner said.
Among the deceased were a grandmother and a grandchild travelling together. “Since both had died, they could not be immediately identified,” Mr. Praveen Kumar said.
Meanwhile, the Collector said that two of the seven missing persons were identified.
“They had called his relatives in U.P. and this information was shared by officials there. We know that they have survived, but do not know where they are,” Ms. Sangeetha said. Police are trying to trace the missing persons through their mobile phone signals.
Minister for Information Technology Palanivel Thiaga Rajan appreciated Madurai Mayor Indrani Ponvasanth and Corporation officials for their swift action in providing all help, including food and clothes, to the victims. A medical camp was also organised at the station to screen the survivors.
