The bodies of four men who died in a car accident in Jammu and Kashmir were brought to their hometown Chittur on Friday. The people of Chittur bid them a tearful farewell in an emotionally charged atmosphere.
The bodies of Sudheesh S., 33; Anil R., 33, Rahul K., 28, and Vignesh, 24, were flown to Cochin International Airport, Nedumbassery, via Mumbai on Friday morning. CPI(M) district secretary E.N. Suresh Babu received the bodies at the airport and brought them to Chittur.
The local people paid their last respects at Government Technical High School, Chittur. After the family obsequies at their homes, the bodies were cremated at a public crematorium at Manthakkad, Chittur.
Their homes witnessed heartrending scenes. Rahul’s pregnant wife Neetu bid him farewell by placing a bouquet of chocolates on his casket. Anil’s second child is hardly two months old. His wife Soumya’s cries made those present teary-eyed. Sudheesh had got married to Malini a few months ago.
The four victims from Nedungodu, Chittur, were among the five people who died when their car skidded off the mountainous Zoji La Pass road on the Srinagar-Leh highway in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir and plunged into a gorge on Tuesday. Apart from them, cab driver Aijaz Ahmed from Sringar also died in the accident.
The accident occurred when a 13-member tourist team was returning from Sonamarg. Three others, Manoj, Rajeesh and Arun, were injured.
Government aid
Minister for Electricity K. Krishnankutty said on Friday that the government would bear the expenses of the treatment for the injured. He said the government would soon announce financial aid to the families of the deceased.
K.V. Thomas, the State government’s special envoy in New Delhi, coordinated and expedited efforts to bring home the bodies.
