Gangtok: The three Nepalese victims of the Sikkim avalanche were handed over to their families following the autopsy on Wednesday.
They will be taken to Kakarvitta on the Indo-Nepal border near Siliguri, where they will be handed over to the Nepal government.
The three victims from Nepal include two females aged 29 from Rupandi and a 22-year old from Chitwan. The third victim, a 32-year-old male also from Chitwan, was also taken in the same vehicle to the Indo-Nepal border, informed an STNM Hospital source.
Another male victim, a 28-year-old from Siliguri, was also handed over to the family and taken in a separate vehicle this morning.
The autopsies of two other victims from Uttar Pradesh and one other victim from Kolkata are also over. They will be taken tomorrow morning, as the flights taking the bodies to UP and Kolkata will fly only tomorrow.
Their departure was delayed as one of the victim’s relatives couldn’t reach them to identify the deceased.
As per STNM hospital sources, the forensic report of all seven victims suggests asphyxia as the reason for death. “None of the seven victims had any major injuries, they were all buried under the snow resulting in asphyxia. However, a detailed report on their death will be ascertained after 2 weeks only”, informed an STNM Hospital source.
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The logistics for flying the remaining deceased to their natives in UP and Kolkata is being overseen by the state government, added a tourism stakeholder.
STNM Hospital’s Additional Medical Superintendent (II) Dr Chintamani Sharma shared, “Most of the injured victims admitted in the STNM Hospital have been discharged on Wednesday, barring a few with major injuries. They have a few injuries, some in the pubic region, some in their thigh bone, but nothing major. Patients wishing to seek medical supervision outside of STNM Hospital or Sikkim have also been given permission to take their patients outside of the State or closer to their homes.”
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