A world shattered, a family wiped out
Her uncle's family left for darshan at the Prithvinath temple, a spiritual outing that turned fatal. Around 11 am, the devastating news reached her—not from family, but from her school captain, who informed her of the accident.
What she didn't know until later was that her uncle Prahlad's younger brother Ramkaran, along with his entire family—wife Ansuya, son Shubh (7) and daughter Saumya (9)—perished in the crash.
Also gone were Prahlad's wife Bina, his daughters Kajal and Rinki and his youngest brother Ramroop's wife and son.
The family's grief deepened with the disappearance of Ramroop's 10-year-old daughter Rachna, who is feared drowned.
Even as the Gonda district hospital conducted post-mortem examinations of the the 11 dead under the supervision of CMO Dr Rashmi Verma, the mourning village of Moti Ganj waited for the return of their loved ones' bodies.
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Six autopsies were completed within an hour-and-a-half; the remaining were in progress. Once done, all the bodies were to be sent together to the village.
Outside the postmortem house, silence and sorrow loomed. Inside Prahlad's home in Moti Ganj, wails echoed through the air, drowning the village in mourning. Neighbours tried to console the family, but many could not hold back their own tears.
Among the deceased were also their neighbour Ramlallan Verma's wife Sanju (26) and sister Gudia alias Anju (20), who joined the family on the trip.
Prahlad's son Satyam and daughter Pinky survived the crash with injuries, as did neighbour Ramlallan and the driver Sitaraman.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep condolences and announced Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia compensation for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured. "Govt stands with the bereaved families in this hour of grief," he said. "All possible assistance will be provided."
As search operations continued with SDRF teams to find little Rachna, what remains is a family devastated—and a niece who will never return to the same home again.
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