State honour for two Kerala nurses

KOLKATA/ KOCHI: The mortal remains of Malaylee nurses who fell victim to AMRI fire on Friday reached their native state Kerala on Sunday night. The bodies were received at the airport by a battery of political leaders, led by Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy.The chief minister said his government will confer state honours on P K Vineetha and Remya Rajappan since they lost their lives while rescuing trapped patients. "Remya and Vineetha pulled out eight of the nine patients in the smoke-filled female ward and when they had gone up to save the ninth patient, they succumbed to the smoke and heat. The state will honour their courage," said Chandy.He also said that out of 20 people who were injured in the incident, 17 were Malayalees and the government would provide all assistance to their families as well. Earlier in Kolkata, the two coffins were kept at Behala's St Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. Nearly 3,000 nurses attended the prayers and paid their last respect. Friends and colleagues bade a tearful farewell to Remya and Vineetha. Parish priest of the church Fr Joshy Myenparambil said the prayer service began at 8am. The bodies were brought to the church in coffins at 9.05am and kept till 9:30am. Vineetha's uncle Vijayan moved to tears while addressing the gathering. He thanked all those present for caring for his niece and Remya during their stay in Kolkata.From there, nearly 160 colleagues and friends took the coffins to Kolkata airport enroute to Kochi. The bodies were taken to their home towns in Kottayam district accompanied by a huge convoy of vehicles around 8.10pm. Vineetha, who hails from Kothanelloor, is survived by her father Kunjumone, mother Mary and sister Divya. Her mother is hospitalized due to kidney failure. Remya, a native of Uzhavoor in Kottayam, is survived by her father Rajappan, mother Usha and brother Rajesh.