John family funeral held in Mumbai

More than 500 people, mostly relatives and friends, came to attend the funeral mass, reports Jyoti Shelar.

The Christian cemetery in Sewree was shrouded in grief and silence on Sunday afternoon as bodies of seven members of a family, killed in an accident on the Mumbai Goa highway on Friday, were brought in for their last rites.

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More than 500 people, mostly relatives and friends, came to attend the funeral mass.

The deceased - Ammukutty John (71), Varghese John (43), his wife Shiny (37) and son Joel (9), Kurien John (41), his wife Annie (34) and son Aron (8) - were on their way to Navi Mumbai from Mahableshwar in a Fiat Uno, which collided head on with a truck going to Mahad from Mumbai.

Two children who were injured - Varghese's son, Bensunny (7) and Kurien's daughter Rhea (12) - are admitted at Sion Hospital's Intensive Care Unit.

Varghese was an engineer with the Central Railway and Shiny worked at the Income Tax office.

Kurien was with the Miami Cruise Liners in the US and had come to Mumbai just a couple of days ago, while Annie was an administrator with the Delhi Public School in Nerul.

P Ramesh, Annie's childhood friend who had come for the funeral, said, "It's a very tragic incident. Annie and I grew up together in Trombay where she lived before marriage."

Referring to Annie by her pet name Molly, Ramesh said, "She was very soft spoken and helpful. Recently, I had met her when I went to her school. I had gone for an interview and Molly helped me get hold of all the forms and people I needed to talk to."

"I spoke to Molly's mother and she told me that Bensunny and Rhea are out of danger," he added.

Email Jyoti Shelar: jyoti.shelar@hindustantimes.com