MUSCAT: The mortal remains of the four of a family who died in a crash near Salalah nearly two weeks ago, have been repatriated and paid last rites at their home in the Indian state of Karnataka on Saturday.
Bodies of Adishesh Basavaraj, wife Pooja Mayappa Tehsildar, her mother Vijaya Mayappa Tehsildar, and brother Pawan Kumar Mayappa Tahsidar were flown on Salam Air to Hyderabad at 10.30 pm flight on September 11 and reached the next day.
Vijaya Mayappa, a native of Gokak in Karnataka's Belagavi district, along with her son Pawan Kumar, arrived in Oman on a visit visa on August 22 to take their daughter Pooja, who was five months pregnant, for her first delivery in India. Before going home, the son-in-law Adishesh on August 25 took them to visit Khareef Dhofar in Salalah, along with his pregnant wife Pooja.
On August 26, while returning from Salalah, their car met collided with a truck in a fatal crash. The vehicle got fire and destroyed the car completely and the the bodies were charred beyond recognition.
Officers from the Royal Oman Police (ROP) recall the event as they had helped the family which ran out of fuel and got stuck on the road to continue their journey. ROP was able to identify the vehicle from the photo of the car taken by the policeman who organised the family as the case seemed different from the rest.
It was the policemen who had delivered the petrol after hearing about the accident recognised the vehicle which continued its journey with the petrol arranged by the police, but collided with an oncoming truck and caught fire.
"It was easy to identify the car from the photo taken by the ROP but the bodies were charred beyond recogition that made it difficult to repatriate the bodies soon after the incident took place," said Shameer Ptk, Community Welfare Secretary at the Indian Social Club - Oman which arranged the repatriation papers and coordinated with the authorities.
He said that although the paperwork to send the bodies home was completed within two days, it was impossible to take each body home without knowing to whom it belonged to. There was no other option but to wait for the results of the DNA taken from the dead body.
The ROP urges all motorists to check the fitness of their vehicles before heading on a long journey and to carry out periodic maintenance works especially in summer.
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