TN CM orders Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia to kin of Dornier crew

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Monday ordered <g data-gr-id="17">ex-gratia</g> payment of Rs 10 lakh each to the kin of three Coast Guard personnel who were killed when a Dornier aircraft piloted by them crashed into sea off the state's coast two months ago.

"I have ordered an <g data-gr-id="20">ex-gratia</g> payment of Rs 10 lakh to each of the families of the three officers," she said in a release here two days after Coast Guard officially confirmed the death of the three personnel following a DNA test of the human remains recovered last month from the crash site.

During a routine surveillance mission on June 8, the Dornier aircraft went missing with three deputy commandants -- Subhash Suresh, Vidyasagar and MK Soni -- on board off the coast in Cuddalore-Chidambaram region.

Personnel involved in more than a month-long intensive search operations named "Operation Talash" involving multiple State and Central agencies including a Naval Submarine recovered the plane's wreckage and human remains off Chidambaram coast in Cuddalore District last month.

Officially confirming the death of crew members, the Coast Guard had on August 8 said the DNA tests established that the recovered human remains were that of the three officers who went missing. <g data-gr-id="19">Kin</g> of the deputy commandants were apprised of the results, it had said. Jayalalithaa <g data-gr-id="25">said</g> "my heart goes out to the families of the three young officers who lost their lives. I offer my deepest condolences to the families in their moment of grief.” 

She <g data-gr-id="24">said</g> “with great grief I learnt of the confirmation of the death of the three brave young officers of the Indian Coast Guard. They were killed while on duty.”