Karnataka: Four bodies of Belagavi devotees in Maha Kumbh stampede to be airlifted

Belagavi (Karnataka) [India], January 30 (ANI): The bodies of four devotees from Belagavi who died in Maha Kumbh stampede in Prayagraj on Wednesday will be transported from Prayagraj to Delhi and then airlifted to Belagavi, said Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mohammad Roshan on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters, DC Roshan expressed the district’s sorrow over the tragic incident, stating, “The incident that occurred in Prayagraj yesterday has deeply saddened all of us. Yesterday night, the district administration of Belagavi district as well as the government of Karnataka has taken steps to coordinate with the district administration of Prayagraj to shift the dead bodies to the district.”

“The decision was taken late last night to shift the deceased from Prayagraj to Delhi and then airlift the bodies from Delhi to Belagavi…We have made parallel arrangements in the city to do the post-mortem and other procedures in Belagavi,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Karnataka Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said that senior officers are overseeing the efforts to bring back the bodies.

“IPS officer Hariram Shankar is coordinating the movement of mortal remains of four people from Kumbh Mela, moving in two ambulances towards Delhi. Special DC, Harsha from Belagavi is reaching Delhi. Both will ensure and also fly with the mortal remains to reach Belagavi this evening,” Gowda told ANI.

“The 3:20 pm IndiGo flight for the mortal remains and four accompanying family members and officers has also been arranged by the Government of Karnataka. As of now, there is no report of any other injured or hospitalised. However, if directed, the Nodal Officer of Govt of Karnataka, Harshal Boyar, has been asked to take all measures necessary to find out if there are any more injured in any of the hospitals,” he added.

The tragic stampede occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, claiming 30 lives and injuring several others, prompting an outpouring of condolences from political leaders.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Vaibhav Krishna addressed the press and said that 25 bodies have been identified while the rest are yet to be identified. “A total of 30 people have died unfortunately in the stampede that took place at the Mahakumbh at Prayagraj. Twenty-five bodies have been identified and the rest five are yet to be identified,” he added.

Among the deceased, four are from Karnataka, one from Assam and one from Gujarat, the DIG said, adding that 36 people were being treated at a local medical college.