The body of Manoj, 24, from Chittur who died at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, Srinagar, after suffering serious injuries in an accident near Zoji La Pass on Tuesday last, was brought home on Sunday.
The body was flown to Cochin International Airport, Nedumbassery, and taken to Chittur in an ambulance arranged by the Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NoRKA).
Manoj’s family and friends paid their last respects. He was later cremated at Manthakkad public crematorium, where his four friends had been cremated two days ago.
His friends Sudheesh S., 33, Anil R., 33, Rahul K., 28, and Vignesh, 24, were killed on the spot when the car they were travelling in skidded off the mountainous Zoji La Pass road on the Srinagar-Leh highway in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir and plunged into a gorge on Tuesday. Apart from them, cab driver Aijaz Ahmed from Srinagar too died in the accident. Manoj was critically injured and admitted to SKIMS Hospital, where he died on Saturday.
The victims were among a 13-member tourist group from Chittur. Tragedy struck them on Tuesday when they were returning from Sonamarg in two vehicles. The driver apart, the ill-fated car had seven members in it. When six of them died, including the driver, their friends Rajeesh and Arun survived with injuries.
