The Odisha government on Friday began demolishing the 65-year-old Bahanaga High School building that was used as a temporary morgue for victims of Coromandel Express. The demolition was being carried out in presence of the school managing committee (SMC) members and Public Works Department officials.

The decision to raze the building was taken after the SMC said it was old and not safe and that children were reluctant to attend classes in the school where bodies were kept. Guardians had also demanded demolition of the building as photos of bodies being ferried to the school for identification by their families had been imprinted in the minds of children.