BANGALORE: Identification of bodies became difficult for the railway employees at Penukonda station in Andhra Pradesh where the Hampi-Bangalore Express rammed into a stationary goods train, killing 25 persons on Tuesday.A railway officer told Express that as most of the victims were travelling in unreserved compartments, the railways had a tough time in establishing their identities. The railways will only have names, addresses and telephone numbers of those travelling in reserved compartments.The railway officials took the help of police, other passengers and injured persons to identify the deceased. The unidentified bodies are kept in Anantapur GH mortuary.The officer said the police examined the bags and pockets of the victims for names, addresses and contact numbers of families and relatives. “We did whatever was possible to identify the bodies. We hope all the bodies will be identified within two days,” he added.Rescue operations started within an hour. Railway officers summoned all their staff who, with all necessary equipment, reached the spot immediately. Helplines were set up in Bangalore, Bellary and Hubli to provide information to the public. Buses were arranged to ferry stranded passengers to Bangalore and places.When the passengers arrived at Bangalore Railway Station, they were served with breakfast, tea and water bottles. “When we reached the spot, hundreds of people had surrounded the bogies. The railways had dispatched men and materials from all the nearby stations. The local people too helped us shift the injured to hospitals,” he added.First major tragedyThe Tuesday’s mishap is the first major accident after the formation of South Western Railway. The SWR was the gift of the previous National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government at the Centre.
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