Bandra Worli Sea Link accident: Bodies of three victims claimed by relatives on Thursday

The three victims whose bodies were still at the mortuary of BYL Nair Charitable Hospital, Mumbai Central for more than 24 hours after the accident were Satyender Singh Rajput (28), Rajendra Kumar (50) and Gajraj Singh (31)

Mumbai: A day after the Bandra-Worli Sea Link mishap, the bodies of three victims out of five were taken to their homes on Thursday. One of them was flown to Rajasthan, while the other two were taken in ambulances to their villages in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh respectively.

Mumbai, India - October 05, 2022: At Least 5 people were killed and 8 others injured after collision of four cars and an ambulance on the Bandra-Worli Sealink, in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, October 05, 2022. (Photo by Vijay Bate/HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

The three victims whose bodies were still at the mortuary of BYL Nair Charitable Hospital, Mumbai Central for more than 24 hours after the accident were Satyender Singh Rajput (28), Rajendra Kumar (50) and Gajraj Singh (31). The family of Rajput, who was a security supervisor, reached Mumbai late Wednesday night, and his employer NPS Security flew his body to Rajasthan early in the morning.

For the relatives of the other two men, the process was not as simple. Their details recorded by the police, including names and ages, did not match those on their official documents. The relatives, therefore, had to repeatedly shuttle between the hospital and Worli police station to establish the identity of the victims. Fortunately, the employers of the two toll guards had arranged a car for them. The company has also arranged for ambulances to take the bodies to their villages.

Sujan Singh, sarpanch of Bawdi Kheda village of Madhya Pradesh, from where Singh belonged had to accompany the deceased’s cousin - Krishnapal Singh to Mumbai to collect his mortal remains. “We were told that Gajraj was involved in an accident, and had to be admitted to the ICU. We did not know about his death when we started from the village,” said Krishnapal. It was only when they were on board the train to Mumbai that they were informed about his death.

Singh’s family includes his old parents, wife, a 13-year-old daughter, and an 8-year-old son, none of whom were in the condition to come to Mumbai. That is why the sarpanch volunteered to take up the long journey to bring his body home. “He was one of the most educated persons in our village, having earned a BSc degree. He was the only earning member of the family. He came to Mumbai five years ago to provide a better life for them,” said Sujan Singh.

Kumar’s father got emotional while talking about his deceased son. Jaitram (66) feels like his entire support system has been snatched away from him. Ever since he received the call on Wednesday morning about his son being severely injured, he has felt weak, he said. After landing in Mumbai, he contacted some people from his village who have been working here for some time. They helped him reach the hospital.

Arvind Kumar, who came to help the elderly man said, Kumar’s children - 21 and 18-year-old daughters and 19-year-old son - are all still studying. “One of them might have to drop out to take up the financial responsibilities of the family,” he said. Some of Kumar’s colleagues who lived with him in a small room in Bandra’s well-known Mount Mary locality helped collect his belongings to take back along with his remains.