Chennai: The bodies of 16 persons who had drowned in the boat mishap in the AnÂdaÂman on Sunday evening weÂre brought to Chennai airport on Monday. Fifteen survivÂors, still in a state of shock, also landed in the city.
The 32-member tour party from Kancheepuram had gone on a four-day visit to the island archipelago on January 23 and was expected to return on Monday. Selvam Gurusamy, the tour operator, had accompanied the group along with his son Manikandan (35), daughter-in-law Usha (30) and granddaughter Pooja (5).
Selvam had decided to stay in his room and skip the boat ride on SunÂday while the rest of his faÂmily had gone on the ferry trip to Ross Island when the mishap took place.
“Both Usha and ManiÂkanÂdan drowned in the mishap while Pooja survived,” family members said. “This was his first trip to the island. Selvam had only organised Sabarimala pilgrimages for several years in the locality,” they added.
Survivors pointed out that while the boat was definitely overloaded, many could have been saved if the ferry operators had given them life jackets that were available on the ferry. “Only when it capsized after developing a hole, some life jackets were thrown to us, but it was too late by then,” a survivor said.
Gangabha (32) from Kancheepuram lost four of her family members, including her husband, Satish Shah (35), daughter Darshini (7) and two sisters, Shantha Bai and Shanthi Bhai. In a state of complete shock, she was taken home by relatives.
While the rescue personnel had fished out the bodies of her daughter and sister, Satish’s body was missing until Monday evening and was recovered only later that night.
The young woman could not even see her husband’s body when she left Andaman.
Earlier, minister T.K.M. Chinnaiah and KancheepuÂram collector Bhaskaran received the bodies and the survivors at the airport and sent them to Kancheepu-ram in special buses. The bodies were taken in individual ambulances to their homes, a release said.
Next: Victim called sister about trinkets purchased in andaman
Victim called sister about trinkets purchased in andaman
Chennai: A pall of gloom descended on Monday on No 33, Nayakkamara Street at West Mambalam, the home of the couple, Karunakaran (61) and Vanaja (42), who died in the Andaman boat accident.
Their bodies were brought home from the airport at 5.30 pm and people from the neighbourhood streamed in to pay their last respects.
Karunakaran had voluntarily retired from his job as a cashier at Lakshmi Vilas Bank five years ago. Vijaya, Vanaja’s elder sister, said that they went on the tour on January 23 along with six of their relatives from Kancheepuram.
She and her relatives learnt of the accident only from the television news. Usha Parthasarathy, 122nd Ward Councillor of the Chennai corporation and Vanaja’s younger sister, said, “Vanaja did not have a child and she considered my daughter Vaishnavi as her own.
She called me at 12.30 pm on Sunday and said that she had purchased ValamÂpuri sangu, pavalam maalai and a special muthu maalai for Vaishnvi. She also asked if I wanted anything else to be purchased at Andaman,” said Usha.
“Our relatives will come to Chennai to be here for the funeral after 10.30 am on Tuesday,” she added. Mayor Saidai S. DuraiÂsaÂmy came to pay his respects to the deceased. He also gave the solatium of '1 lakh to the kin of each deceased persons, as announced by the Chief Minister. ThiyagaraÂyanaÂgar MLA V. P. Kalairajan accompanied him.
