BALASORE: Families continue to struggle with trauma and uncertainty as they wait for answers on the fate of their loved ones who have gone missing after the tragic Coromandel Express mishap.SK Shamsher Ali (50) of Panskura in West Bengal’s East Medinipur district has been frantically searching for his 19-year-old son SK Sayel Ali since the last three days but to no avail. Sayel had reportedly boarded the train from Howrah and was on way to Chennai where he worked in a private firm.
Shamsher said he has made several rounds of the hospitals in Balasore, Soro and Bhadrak but is yet to trace his son. “After visiting the hospitals, I went to the North Orissa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NOCCI) near Balasore town where the bodies of the deceased passengers have been kept. I didn’t find my son there too,” he said.
Similarly, a group of five daily wagers - Tapas Hembram, Gopal Hembram, Atanu Kisku, Prasanjeet Majhi and Rohit Hembram, was heading to Chennai for work when tragedy struck them. While four of them are undergoing treatment at Fakir Mohan Medical College and Hospital, Tapas is reportedly still missing.
Official sources said a control room has been set up at BMC-ICOMC tower at Satya Nagar in Bhubaneswar to provide assistance to families of missing persons and stranded passengers.
They can contact toll free numbers - 18003450061/ 1929 (24/7) for assistance.They can also contact the following nodal officers, Rajesh Pradhan- 6370946287, Asish Patra-7978095293, Debasish Mishra-6370585221, Deepak Kumar Rout- 8249217415 and Sandeep Moharana- 8847822559 for help.
A special train has started running from Bhadrak to Chennai from Sunday. It has stoppages at Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and all major places enroute. The train will carry the rescued passengers to their respective locations.It also has a parcel van attached to it to carry the bodies of the deceased.