In ahmedabad Kriti Barad and her cousin Urvi Barad left Bhavnagar in Gujarat on October 14 for Kedarnath on what was supposed to be a spiritual journey in the serene Himalayas, but their family members are still waiting for their mortal remains four days later, on Tuesday.
Kriti (30), Urvi (25), and Purva Ramanuj (26) of Bhavnagar were among the seven people killed when a helicopter ferrying pilgrims from Kedarnath temple to Guptkashi crashed in a hill in Uttarakhand.
Kriti worked for a private company, while Urvi was studying for competitive exams, according to their family members, who added that the sisters left Bhavnagar on October 14 for the Kedarnath pilgrimage.
Purva Ramanuj was a resident of Sihor taluka in Bhavnagar district.
The Gujarat government on Tuesday announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each of the three deceased women.
“The families of the deceased from Bhavnagar will be given Rs 4 lakh assistance. The decision has been taken by Chief Minister Shri @Bhupendrabjp ji and the state government for which I thank them,” Gujarat Education Minister Jitu Vagahani tweeted.
He said the government is constantly in touch with the Uttarakhand government to bring the bodies of the victims to Gujarat.
“Out of the seven victims killed in the chopper crash, three are from Bhavnagar district. They are identified as Kriti Barad, Urvi Barad, and Purva Ramanuj,” an official release said.
Kriti and Urvi were residents of Bhavnagar city, while Purva Ramanuj was from Sihor taluka in Bhavnagar district, tweeted Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil.
Kriti and Urvi, who lived in Desainagar locality, left Bhavnagar on October 14 on a pilgrimage to Kedarnath.
Many people visited the residences of the Barads after the news flashed on television screens of the chopper crash, local officials said.
“The former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Shri Harish Rawatji and the leaders of Congress have spoken to the authorities to provide the required assistance to bring back the bodies of the daughters of Bhavnagar,” Gohil said in another tweet.
At around 11.45 a.m., the chopper Bell 407 (VT-RPN) operated by Aryan Aviation burst into flames at Dev Darshini in Garud Chatti in Rudraprayag.
The bodies were brought to the Kedarnath helipad by teams from the National Disaster Response Force, Uttarakhand and Delhi disaster response forces, and police.