Chennai:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa expressed grief over the death of 15 persons in an air crash in Nepal on Monday and directed a senior official in Delhi to coordinate with the Indian Embassy to bring the bodies of those belonging to the state.
Ms Jayalalithaa said she was shocked to know that 15 persons who were on a pilgrimage lost their lives after their aircraft crashed over a hill near Jomson in Nepal this morning.
Latha Sreekanth of Vadapalani in Chennai and Bhattacharya L S Sudarsanam of Kumbakanam in the state were among those killed when the plane with 21 people on board crashed in northern Nepal after hitting a hill top while attempting to land at a high-altitude airport.
Ms Jayalalithaa said she has directed the Resident Commissioner of Tamil Nadu House in Delhi to contact the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu and take steps to bring the bodies of those from the state.
"I have also directed the Resident Commissioner to take steps to treat Sreekanth, his daughters Sreevardhini and Sreepada of Vadapalani who were among the injured in hospital and lend all support to them," she said.
Thirteen Indian pilgrims were among those killed this morning when the small plane with 21 people on board crashed.
Six others, including three Indians and two Danish nationals, miraculously survived the crash of the Dornier 9N AIG aircraft belonging to private carrier Agni Air.