Ahmedabad: Kriti Barad and her cousin Urvi Barad left Bhavnagar in Gujarat for Kedarnath on October 14 on what was meant to be a spiritual sojourn in the serene Himalayas, but four days later on Tuesday, their family members are waiting for their mortal remains.
Kriti (30), Urvi (25), and Purva Ramanuj (26) who hailed from Bhavnagar were among the seven people, including the pilot, who lost their lives when a helicopter ferrying pilgrims from Kedarnath temple to Guptkashi crashed in a hill in Uttarakhand.
While Kriti was an employee of a private company, Urvi was preparing for competitive examinations, their family members said, adding the sisters left Bhavnagar on October 14 for the Kedarnath pilgrimage.
Purva Ramanuj was a resident of Sihor taluka in Bhavnagar district.
The Gujarat government on Tuesday announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each of the three deceased women.
"The families of the deceased from Bhavnagar will be given Rs 4 lakh assistance. The decision has been taken by Chief Minister Shri @Bhupendrabjp ji and the state government for which I thank them," Gujarat Education Minister Jitu Vagahani tweeted.
He said the government is constantly in touch with the Uttarakhand government to bring the bodies of the victims to Gujarat.
"Out of the seven victims killed in the chopper crash, three are from Bhavnagar district. They are identified as Kriti Barad, Urvi Barad, and Purva Ramanuj," an official release said.
Kriti and Urvi were residents of Bhavnagar city, while Purva Ramanuj was from Sihor taluka in Bhavnagar district, tweeted Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil.
Kriti and Urvi, who lived in Desainagar locality, left Bhavnagar on October 14 on a pilgrimage to Kedarnath.
Many people visited the residences of the Barads after the news flashed on television screens of the chopper crash, local officials said.
"The former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Shri Harish Rawatji and the leaders of Congress have spoken to the authorities to provide the required assistance to bring back the bodies of the daughters of Bhavnagar," Gohil said in another tweet.
The chopper -- Bell 407 (VT-RPN) and operated by Aryan Aviation -- burst into flames at around 11.45 am at Dev Darshini in Garud Chatti in Rudraprayag. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force, disaster response forces of Uttarakhand and Delhi, and police brought the bodies to the Kedarnath helipad. —PTI