Relatives of the eight passengers from Tiruchi who died in Sunday's plane crash in the Kathmandu valley arrived here on Monday to identify and take back the bodies of their loved ones.
Two members of parliament – AIADMK's P. Kumar, and DMK's Tiruchi Siva, and Additional Resident Commissioner of the Tamil Nadu House in Delhi, Jasbir Singh Bajaj, accompanied them.
The Indian embassy here made all the arrangements for the relatives. The bodies were kept at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, for post-mortem analysis which concluded by Monday afternoon. In the late evening, the relatives came to the hospital. They were calm and waited for their turn to see the bodies. One of them said, “We are just speechless. It is yet to sink in.” Another relative, son of A.K. Krishnan who died in the crash, put his finger on the lips indicating he did not wish to speak. In the spirit of respecting the privacy of relatives in their moment of grief, The Hindu did not press family members for reactions.
“Great help from embassy”
Rajya Sabha MP, Mr. Siva, who was at the hospital, said he knew almost everyone who died and one of them, Katoor Mahalingam, was a college mate. “I am truly shocked and have just come to help. I immediately got in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs when I heard of the incident and requested them to coordinate arrangements. We are all sincerely grateful to the Indian embassy here which has provided enormous help, right from the ambassador.”
Lok Sabha MP, Mr. Kumar, said the Tamil Nadu government and the Chief Minister had sent him, and they shared the sorrow of the families.
After completing hospital formalities, the relatives were scheduled to go to Grand Hotel where the victims stayed on Saturday night after checking in. Hotel manager Phurba Sherpa said, “We will hand over the luggage to the family members in the presence of the police.”
Informed sources said the embassy had requested the Nepal government to expedite all legal formalities so that the relatives could take the bodies back by Tuesday evening to New Delhi, and subsequently to Chennai by late Tuesday night.”