The bodies of the two pilgrims, who drowned in the Pamba River, will be transported to their homes at the expense of the Kerala government.
Kerala goverment bears expenses to send home the bodies of Sabarimala pilgrims from Chennai who drowned.
The bodies of two Sabarimala pilgrims from Chennai, who drowned in the Pamba River, will be transported to their homes at the expense of the Kerala government.
State Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cheriyan visited the Kayamkulam Taluk hospital where the victims’ bodies were kept and gave instructions to the officials in this regard, an official release said on Thursday, 28 December.
The minister instructed that postmortem procedures be conducted at the hospital, and subsequently, the bodies should be sent home in an ambulance equipped with a mobile mortuary system, all covered by the government’s expense.
The tragic incident occurred when a group of eight devotees from Thyagaraya Nagar in Chennai, who had completed their darshan at the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, were bathing in a ghat at the Pamba River near the Chengannur Mahadeva temple on Wednesday.
According to the police, one person initially drowned, and the other attempted a rescue but both were washed away.
Fireforce personnel promptly arrived at the scene and recovered the bodies.
Minister Cheriyan offered consolation to the remaining group members and provided them with an amount of ₹25,000 for essential expenses.
Cheriyan said Ayyappa devotees who come to bathe in Pampa should exercise caution.
Despite warning boards and iron fences at the bathing place near the Mahadeva temple, these safety measures are often neglected, the minister lamented.
He further said taking a bath in parts of the river that are not protected by a designated safe area can pose a risk. This is because the river contains hidden underwater currents and swirling water patterns that are not easily noticeable, Cheriyan said.
The minister added that the pilgrims should be aware of these risks and bathe safely in designated areas along the ghats.
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