How the modest Khed hospital handled autopsies

As bodies of 37 accident victims started piling up at the modestly equipped municipal hospital in Khed early Tuesday morning, it was a flurry of activity for the local district administration in Ratnagiri which had to crank up its machinery for post-mortem examinations.

An urgent call for doctors from civil hospitals across the Konkan region – from Chiplun, Dapoli and Mandangad – was made. About18 doctors were brought in from these three hospitals. By 2pm, post-mortem examinations had been completed. While 31 dead bodies were identified, six of the deceased were not identified till Tuesday evening.

At the same time, ambulances from surrounding areas had been pressed into service, stationed outside the hospital. As relatives identified dead bodies, they were handed over and an ambulance arranged to transport the body with supplies of ice to preserve the body till the duration of the journey. The body of one of the deceased persons hailing from Uttar Pradesh will remain at the hospital morgue for a couple of days as the family said they would require two days to reach Ratnagiri.

Sources said that the government has decided to foot expenses of those who are being treated at private hospitals.

@Santosh_Andhale