Bhubaneswar, January 6: In a tragic turn of events at a private medical college in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar, a man presumed dead in an AC compressor explosion was later found alive and receiving treatment at the same hospital. The erroneous death report led to the suicide of his wife, who was unable to cope with the grief.

TOI reported that the deceased, a contract worker who perished in the blast, was mistakenly identified as Dilip Samantray, another worker. The misidentified body was handed over to Samantray’s family, who performed the last rites. Man Dies in His Sleep in Ayodhya-Bound Sabarmati Express Train, Family Unaware of Incident Sits Next To His Dead Body For 13 Hours.

The incident took place at Hi-Tech Hospital, where four staff members of an outsourcing agency were injured in the explosion. Two of them succumbed to their injuries during treatment, while the other two were shifted to the ICU. Rajasthan Shocker: Depressed Over Husband’s Death, Woman Dies by Suicide by Jumping Into Canal in Kota.

Hospital CEO Smita Padhi explained that the identification of the injured was based on information provided by an agency staffer. “Dilip Samantray” was reported dead on December 30, and his family received the body following due procedures.

On January 1, Samantray’s wife, Soumyashree Jena, took her own life after learning about her husband’s supposed demise. Another blast victim, Sritam Sahu, passed away on January 3. The remaining two patients showed slight improvement and were taken off ventilator support on Thursday.

A patient who identified himself as Dilip Samantray caused confusion among the hospital staff. Psychiatrist Amrit Pattojoshi was called in to assess the patient’s mental state. When questioned about Samantray’s family members, the patient responded correctly. Pattojoshi stated, “As a doctor, I am 90% to 95% sure that the patient undergoing treatment is Dilip Samantray. If required, DNA analysis will be done.”

While there is no doubt about the identity of Simanchal Biswal, another injured person, the family of Jyoti Ranjan Mallik, who was also injured in the blast, is now demanding his body.

The hospital authorities have filed a police complaint regarding the mix-up, which they attribute to the victims’ faces being burnt beyond recognition. Bhubaneswar DCP Prateek Singh has assigned an ACP-rank officer to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 06, 2024 05:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).