Desperate hunt for those still missing in Odisha disaster

Relatives of the victims of Friday's deadly three-train clang successful India person spoken of their continuing, hopeless efforts to find their loved ones.

One pistillate looking for her big lad told the BBC she had travelled for 30 hours to the clang site, searching hospitals and morgues connected the way.

Officials said connected Saturday that their rescue ngo successful Odisha had ended - but 1 eyewitness said helium had seen a subsister retrieved the adjacent morning.

The latest decease toll stands astatine 275.

A signalling responsibility is emerging arsenic the apt origin of the catastrophe - India's worst obstruction mishap for decades.

Lilavati Devi broke down arsenic she told the BBC connected Sunday that that she was inactive looking for her son, though different 8 members of her household who were connected 1 of the trains had been located.

"I commune that we find him determination - 1 mode oregon another," she said. "There's thing much I want. May God support my lad safe."

Her lad Raja Sahani, 22, was travelling on with relatives from their hometown successful the north-eastern authorities of Bihar to the affluent confederate metropolis of Bangalore - wherever they enactment unusual jobs arsenic regular wagers.

Travel involves changing trains successful the metropolis of Howrah, which is wherever they boarded the ill-fated train. Raja sent a photograph of himself there.

Hours aft helium departed, Lilavati got a telephone from different household subordinate saying determination had been an accident. She tried Raja's telephone repeatedly aft that, but it was switched off.

Her hunt had yielded thing truthful far, she said. They spent 45,000 rupees (£438) hiring a car to marque the travel - a outgo good beyond their means.

"I person adjacent looked successful each hospitals and morgues here, but can't find him", she said. "We asked the morgues to amusement photos of each the dormant bodies implicit and over. But he's not there."

Odisha authorities authoritative Pradeep Jena told the BBC that astatine slightest 187 bodies remained unidentified.

Officials were uploading pictures of the victims connected authorities websites and would transportation retired DNA investigating if needed, helium said.

"It's a existent situation for us," helium said.

Others, too, person been shuttling betwixt the antithetic impermanent centres, looking astatine photos and hoping to get immoderate news.

Vishwanath Sahni told the AFP quality bureau that helium was inactive looking for his 26-year-old son, who had been connected his mode to Chennai erstwhile the catastrophe occurred.

"I don't cognize if I'll find my son," helium said, portion waiting astatine a morgue - having enquired astatine each infirmary helium was capable to.

Despite railway officials saying connected Saturday that each trapped and injured radical astatine the tract had been rescued, hunt efforts look to person continued astatine the clang site.

Journalist and writer Sandeep Sahu told the BBC of a "miraculous" find connected Sunday morning, erstwhile an injured subsister was pulled from the mangled wreckage and past rushed to hospital.

He said dormant bodies, too, were inactive being recovered - and that helium had seen 5 of these taken from the scene, 36 hours aft the accident.

These were placed successful a adjacent schoolhouse that has been utilized arsenic a impermanent morgue.

There was a "horrifying" infinitesimal erstwhile 1 of the victims' mobile phones rang, helium said - "but determination was cipher to respond to the call."