Kids afraid of returning to school that was turned into morgue

Kin of victims during body identification at Bahanaga High School, on Sunday. Pic/PTI

Students of Bahanaga High School in Odisha are scared to return to their classes in the building that was turned into a temporary morgue after the triple train crash, which killed 288 passengers.

Soon after the crash on June 2, shrouded bodies were carted to this 65-year-old school building. Such is the fear that the school management committee has pleaded with the state government to demolish the building as it is old. "Younger students are scared," admitted Headmistress Pramila Swain, adding that the school planned to "conduct spiritual programmes and follow some rituals to help them overcome their fears."

Balasore district collector (DC) Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde, who visited the school on Thursday on the directions of the school and mass education department, said, "They want to demolish the old building and renovate it so that children do have any fear or apprehension to attend classes." A committee member told the DC that after watching the bodies lying in the school on TV, "the children are affected and are reluctant to come to school that reopens on June 16".

Though the bodies have been shifted to Bhubaneswar and the school has been sanitised, students and their parents are scared. "It is difficult to forget that so many bodies were kept in our school building," said a student. Some parents are thinking of switching schools. However, District Education Officer, Balasore, Bishnu Charan Sutar said, "We will ensure that no student drops out of the school due to this reason."

19 passengers from Bihar missing

At least 19 people from Bihar, who were on board the Coromandel Express, are still missing after the train accident on June 2, said the state Disaster Management Department.

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