Kavardha, (Thestates.news)| Seventeen victims of a tragic road accident in Chhattisgarh’s Kavardha, were given a mass funeral at their ancestral village on Tuesday as per traditional tribal customs, while two more were cremated separately.The mass funeral in Semhara village saw the cremation of 16 women and one man on a single pyre, while two other women were cremated at their in-laws’ places.
Nearly a score lives were lost on Monday after villagers picking fodder leaves met with an accident when 13 were crushed on the spot under a lorry.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai extended his condolences to the families of the deceased via telephone, expressing the government’s solidarity with them during this period of immense grief and assured them of all possible assistance.
Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma and local legislator Bhavana Bohra attended the funeral as state representatives, conveying their sympathies to the bereaved families. Sharma remained at the cremation ground until the ceremonies concluded.
The accident occurred in Bahapani village near Kukdur, Kabirdham, when villagers from Semhara, returning from collecting tendu leaves in the Rukmidadar forest, met with the tragedy.
Their pickup truck fell into a ditch, resulting in the instant deaths of 13 women who were crushed under the vehicle. Five more women succumbed to their injuries at the Kukdur Community Health Centre, while three seriously injured individuals were transferred to the district hospital for further treatment.(UNI)