Eternal rest; Kerala bids tearful adieu to dear ones killed in Kuwait fire accident

KOCHI: The bodies of 23 people killed in the Kuwait building fire accident were brought to Kerala on Friday. The funeral of 12 of them took place yesterday. Thousands of people gathered at the houses of the deceased to bid them a tearful adieu.

The bodies of 45 people who died in the fire accident in Kuwait's Mangaf were brought to the Nedumbassery airport on an Air Force flight yesterday morning. The bodies of 31 deceased, including 23 Malayalees, were received under the leadership of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The bodies of the remaining 14 people were taken to Delhi after completing health clearance.

On Friday morning, the Nedumbassery airport was eerily silent as everyone waited for the Air Force flight to land. Those, including politicians, were struggling not knowing how to comfort the relatives and friends who came to receive the bodies of their loved ones.

The flight landed at 10.29 am. The coffins of 31 deceased were brought out one by one at 11.40. The bodies were kept at the domestic cargo terminal for some time for the public to pay homage. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan first paid his respects to Arun Babu, a native of Thiruvananthapuram. He then placed wreaths on other bodies as well. A guard of honour was also given. Union Ministers of State Kirti Vardhan Singh, Suresh Gopi, Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan, state ministers, MPs, MLAs and others were present.

The bodies were taken to the native places of the deceased in 23 ambulances. All ambulances were accompanied by police pilot vehicles. The funeral of 12 people in different districts was held yesterday. The funeral of 11 people will be held in the coming days.

Tamil Nadu Minority Welfare Minister K Senji Masthan received the bodies of the 7 people from Tamil Nadu. The body of the Karnataka native, received by the official representatives, was taken to his native place on a special flight. The police escorted the Tamil Nadu ambulances to the state border.

Funeral of 12 people held

• Thiruvananthapuram: Nedumangad native Arun Babu, Edava native Sreejesh
• Malappuram: Tirur native Nooh, Pulamanthole native Bahuleyan
• Thrissur: Chavakkad native Binoy Thomas
• Pathanamthitta: Vazhamuttom native PV Muraleedharan
• Kollam: Kadavoor native Sumesh C Pillai, Sooranad native Shameer
• Kasargod: Cherkala native Ranjith, Thrikaripur native P Kunjikkelu
• Kannur: Cherupuzha native Nithin, Dharmadom native Vishwas Krishna