Nepal plane crash: Mortal remains of four victims reach Ghazipur, cremated
Braving the winter chill, hundreds of villagers attended the cremation. In a tribute to the four victims, Kasimabad traders observed a day-long market closure on Tuesday.
VARANASI A pall of gloom shrouded Ghazipur’s Chak Zainab and Allawalpur villages as the mortal remains of the four local men, who died in the Yeti Airlines crash in Nepal on January 15, reached their homes in the wee hours of Tuesday. Later, in the afternoon, the mortal remains of the four friends -- called ‘fabulous four’ by locals -- were consigned to flames at Ghazipur’s Sultanpur Ghat. Braving the winter chill, hundreds of villagers attended the cremation.
The accident aircraft had 72 passengers -- including five Indians -- on board. None of them survived. The victims from India were -- Sonu Jaiswal (35), Anil Kumar Rajbhar (27), Abhishek Kushwaha (27) and Vishal Sharma (22) of Ghazipur, and Sanjay Jaiswal (26) from Bihar’s Sitamarhi.
Following the crash, one person from each of the victim’s family was flown to Nepal for body identification. While the entire process was facilitated by the Ghazipur district information, it still took about 10 days. “Despite running from pillar to post, there was no one there (in Nepal) to attend us, no one to hear our grievances,” said Abhinesh Kushwaha, brother of victim Abhishek Kushwaha.
In a similar vein, Vijay Jaiswal, said, “On January 17, we were shown charred bodies for identification. However, none of them were Indian. So, the harrowing process was scheduled again on January 20, which got postponed to January 23 due to a public holiday.”
On Tuesday, when the bodies of the victims reached their homes, bereaved family members were inconsolable. “It’s the heaviest day of my life. The pain and trauma we are being subjected to cannot be described in words. How do I face Sonu’s newly married wife and his three-year-old son,” said Ravindra Jaiswal, Sonu’s father.
“The four childhood friends used to hang out together. In a cruel twist of fate, they died together too. They went on a spiritual tour last year and this year, they decided to go to the famous Tirupati temple of Nepal. They would be remembered for their friendship,” said Chandra Maurya, father of victim Abhishek Kushwaha.
In a tribute to the four victims, Kasimabad traders observed a day-long market closure on Tuesday.