The bodies of the three Malayali youths who tragically died in an apartment fire in the German city of Bochum will be brought back to Keralam on Tuesday (October 20, 2026).
Intervening on the request of the victims’ families, the Indian Embassy has arranged for the bodies to be handed over to a local funeral home without conducting post-mortems. According to G. Devarajan, the Keralam government’s special representative in Delhi, cargo booking formalities are being finalised, and the bodies will be flown out by Monday evening.
The victims were identified as 27-year-old Anjali S. Joy from Kollam, 25-year-old Nova Sabu from Idukki, and 27-year-old Sivin Johny from Ernakulam. The repatriation was delayed by a day because funeral homes were closed on Sunday; otherwise, the bodies would have been dispatched sooner. Though a minor technical hurdle arose because cargo flights initially had space for only two bodies, authorities ensured all three are brought home together.
The State government will bear the transportation cost of approximately €3,000, roughly amounting to ₹3,00,000, per body. Upon arrival at the Nedumbassery airport, the mortal remains will be transported to their respective homes in ambulances arranged by the government.
Meanwhile, investigations are under way regarding the arson attack on the apartment building. Preliminary findings indicate that the tragedy stemmed from a personal enmity between the flat owner and a Romanian national who is currently in police custody.
Published – October 18, 2026 09:02 pm IST
