Mangalore: Mass burial site of crash victims not indicated

TOI-pk The mass burial site of 12 victims of the IX-812 crash at Tannir Bhavi near here is now an obscure spot. Barring a few undulations where the bodies were buried and a red and white tape bordering the site, there is hardly any indication to show that the bodies of the air crash victims lie interned there. This has angered many, including Robert Pinto, who had airline crew - Yuganthar Rana and Mohammed Ali and who perished in the air crash - as his tenants. Pinto said the district administration should at least erect a fence so that the site is not disturbed and a board to indicate that unidentified bodies were buried there. One of the cabin crew, Sujatha Survase, from Maharashtra was also buried there. Not all of her family members could come for the mass burial as it was decided by the administration at the last minute. If her relatives want to see the site where she was buried, they will be shocked. Can I show that place and say your kin was buried there? asks Pinto. To give credit to the district administration, it tried hard to get a land for mass burial, but due to religious sentiments involved they could not get any land. New Mangalore Port Trust had stepped in to provide the land. Sources in NMP say that nothing can be done at that site as it is abutting the river and high tension power lines run above the site. Earlier, the authorities here had sent samples of 22 victims and their relatives for DNA sampling to Hyderabad-based Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) after they were faced with multiple claims for some of the bodies. The CDFD, on May 26, presented a report identifying 10 of the bodies. Of this, a Udupi-based family refused to collect the body stating that it did not match physical profile. Based on a subsequent report presented by CDFD authorities on May 28, the authorities handed over one more body to next of their kin. This left them dealing with families of remaining victims. The 12 bodies were laid to rest after the religious leaders from Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Sikh communities performed the last rites. 6/25/2010 http://www.sfxkutam.com/news_index_arch1.asp?offset=1210