BERHAMPUR: A pall of gloom descended on Badiambo village under Hinjili block in Ganjam after arrival of the body of Kailash Jena (36) from Raipur in Chhattisgarh on Sunday.
Kailash was one among the eight migrant workers of the district who died in a bus mishap at Cheri Khedi near Raipur in Chhattisgarh.
Heartrending scenes unfolded in Badiambo as villagers gathered to have a last glimpse of the mortal remains of Kailash and pay their tributes.
Trinath Jena, father of Kailash, wept his heart out lamenting his son’s death. “I feel numb. The demise of Kailash, the only earning member of my family, has left me dumbstruck,” he said wiping his tears.
Kailash was cremated in presence of hundreds of grieving villagers. Revenue officials reached the village and handed over a cheque of `10,000 from the Red Cross fund to the bereaved. They also assured to pay Rs 2 lakh ex gratia announced by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik within a week.
A day after the tragic mishap, bodies of other workers were brought back to their native villages in Ganjam. Sources said many of the deceased were sole breadwinners of their families. Apart from Kailash, Narayan Guru (26) of Chancharapalli in Belaguntha block, Susant Swain (36) of Baghuapalli, Samir Mahakud (17) of Sundarpur in Chhatrapur, Judhistir Nayak (24) of Kandivali in Aska, Biswanath Gouda (54) of Ghatakuri, Tapan Nayak (20) and Bilu Dakua (45) of Bibhutia in Sorada had died after the bus carrying 67 migrant workers from Ganjam to Gujarat collided with a truck on Saturday.
The migrant workers had left for their workplace at Surat after staying over three months in their native places due to the pandemic.
Meanwhile, a team of officials from the district left for Raipur to coordinate the treatment of the five critically-injured workers admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital there.
They are Chitra Swain (22) of Belaguntha, Sanyasi Jadav (42) and Babu Nayak (9) of Athagarh village in Kabisuryanagar, Bulu Swain (33) of Dhabalapur in Seragada and Tukuna Jena (30) of Kharaputi village in Belaguntha.