Gloom descends on Kolkata airport as bodies of 5 trekkers arrive from U'khand

KOLKATA: Bodies of five trekkers from Bengal, who died after a massive landslide occurred near Lamkhaga Pass at Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh on October 18, reached the city airport on Monday in coffins. Officials from the state government performed necessary formalities at an earliest and handed over the bodies to the victims' family members.

Expressing condolence over the deaths of 10 odd trekkers from Bengal in Himachal and Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said the state government was leaving no stones unturned to bring back the bodies of the deceased as early as possible. "The state Youth Affairs department has taken up the matter with the administration in the two states," Banerjee said.

Shubhayun Das, Richard Mondal, Tanumoy Tewari, Bikash Makal and Sourav Ghosh had begun the expedition from Harsil in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand on October 11 and were to reach Chitkul via the Lamkhaga Pass.

They, however, reportedly went missing after heavy rain battered the northern state for nearly three days, beginning Sunday night, with the Kumaon division bearing the brunt of it.

Tanumoy Tewari of Haridevpur had left the city on October 11 and last spoken to his family members over mobile phone on October 14. Tanumoy's uncle Sukhen Majhi, who had accompanied him, is also missing .

The second victim, Shubhayun Das, was a resident of Nepal Bhattacharjee Street in Kalighat. According to his family members, Das—a medical representative by profession—was passionate towards trekking.

He would run from Rashbehari till Maidan every morning to keep himself fit.

The bodies of the two deceased Bikash Makal and Sourav Ghosh were taken to their respective residences at Nepalganj under Bishnupur police station in South 24-Parganas. Richard Mondal's body was taken to his residence at Baruipur in South 24-Parganas. Richard's marriage was scheduled on December 3.

Grief-stricken family members could hardly hold back tears at the Kolkata airport. Some cried inconsolably, while many others couldn't muster the courage to look at the coffins, which contained the bodies of their near and dear ones.