BHOPAL/JABALPUR: Mortal remains of 25 pilgrims from Madhya Pradesh's Panna district, killed in a bus accident in Uttarakhand on Sunday, were consigned to flames on Tuesday in their native villages in Panna district.
Grief-stricken villagers in Panna are still in a state of shock and turned out in large numbers for the final journey of their kin and friends, whom they had sent happily for the pilgrimage.
The bodies of the deceased were flown from Uttrakhand by an IAF aircraft to Khajuraho on Monday late evening. The bodies were later taken to the respective villages in ambulances in the night. Of these, 24 deceased hailed from Panna district and one was from Bijawar tehsil of Chhatarpur district. Panna district administration sources said that 22 bodies were cremated in Panna while kin of two deceased took the bodies to Allahabad for performing the last rites. One was cremated at Chhatarpur.
Among the deceased, eight were from Buddhsingh Santa village of Panna, four from Mohandra village and two each from Udla, Pawai village, Semaria, Koni and Kunwarpur villages.
Relief of Rs 5 lakh to kin of deceased from CM fund
One deceased was from Kakarhata village. “A relief of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased was provided by chief minister's relief fund and Rs 50,000 each was provided to the injured,” district collector Panna, Sanjay Kumar Mishra told TOI.
MP BJP president VD Sharma, divisional commissioner Sagar, collector Panna, SP Panna and other officials were present during the cremation.
