Mortal remains of 5 Keralites who died in Kenyan road mishap reach state

Kochi: The bodies of five Keralites who died in a road mishap in Kenya were flown back to the southern state on Sunday, official sources said.

The bodies of the deceased, including those of two children, aged one-and-a-half and seven years old, reached the international airport at Nedumbassery here on a flight from Qatar, the sources said.

The victims travelled to the African nation for a holiday, and the accident occurred in the Nyandarua County.

Industries Minister P Rajeev and other officials concerned, and relatives of the deceased, received the dead bodies.

The minister placed wreaths on the mortal remains and paid homage on behalf of the state government after the bodies were shifted to the ambulances.

The bodies were not kept for public homage at the airport as requested by the family members and were taken to their respective places, sources said.

While talking to the reporters at the airport later, Rajeev said, the funeral of some of the deceased would be held on Sunday, and others would be held on Tuesday.

"The mishap was a painful incident. Those who had gone on holiday to Kenya met with the tragedy. The government intervened in all possible areas and did everything for the smooth repatriation of the bodies without delay," he said.

Rajeev said though there was an issue with the yellow fever vaccination certificate, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan intervened in the matter and helped to waive it.

The relatives, however, were given general instructions to make funeral arrangements in accordance with protocol, he said.

The minister said he also met the three injured persons, and they would be admitted to a hospital soon.

The deceased hail from Moovattupuzha, Mavelikkara and Palakkad, authorities said.

The Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA) authorities in the statement on Saturday said that the swift intervention of CM Vijayan has helped to get a special exemption from the Centre in connection with a yellow fever vaccine certificate.

Just a few hours before the flight carrying bodies scheduled to depart from Kenya to Qatar, the travel agency officials stated that a yellow fever vaccine certificate was required to transport the mortal remains of the accident victims.

This raised concerns that the repatriation of the bodies would be delayed, but CM Vijayan intervened and took up the matter with the Centre, which later waived the vaccine certificate considering the special circumstances, the statement added.

Vijayan, on Wednesday, had written to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, requesting full support for the swift and dignified repatriation of the mortal remains of the deceased to India.

He had urged the Ministry of External Affairs to direct the Indian High Commission in Kenya to facilitate legal formalities, documentation, and logistical support for the affected families.