Mortal remains of 5 Keralites to reach state from Kenya on Jun 15

Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 14 (PTI) The mortal remains of five Keralites, who met with a tragic end in Nyandarua County in Kenya early this week, will be brought to the state on Sunday morning, official sources said.

The bodies of the deceased persons, including those of two children, aged one-and-half and seven years-old, would reach the international airport in Kochi by 8.45 am in a Qatar Airways flight, they said on Saturday.

The deceased hail from Moovattupuzha, Mavelikkara and Palakkad, NORKA Roots said in a statement here.

The Norka Roots officials would receive the bodies on behalf of the state government and from the airport, they would be taken to their respective homes, it said.

Relatives of the deceased would also be accompanying the bodies on the flight, it said.

The Norka authorities, in the statement, further said that the swift intervention of Chief Minister Pinarayi 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 from Kenya to Qatar, the travel agency officials stated that a yellow fever vaccine certificate was required to shift 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 who later waived the vaccine certificate considering the special circumstances, the statement added.

Vijayan, on Wednesday, had written a letter 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. PTI