<p>Hundreds of grieving residents of Vadesamudra village in the taluk, on Sunday, bid a tearful adieu to eight people, including three schoolchildren, who met a watery grave as a private bus plunged into Visvesvaraya canal on Saturday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Out of the 30 passengers who were killed in the accident, eight were from Vadesamudra and a mass cremation of the bodies was held at the burial ground of the village.</p>.<p class="bodytext">People of different castes came together to perform the final rites of the deceased. Not only the people of Vadesamudra, but also those from various parts of the taluk participated.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The bodies of Ravi Kumar (12), Prashanth (13), Pavithra (12), Rathnamma, Shashikala, Chikkaiah, Kamalamma and Kariyaiah were cremated simultaneously.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The mortal remains of the deceased were brought to the burial ground in the morning, after performing the rituals at their houses.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Raghu, younger brother of Ravi Kumar, who performed the latter's last rites, said Ravi had told him to come early from school. “So, I reached home early, but ‘Anna’ (brother) never came back home,” Raghu said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The children’s father Shankar died of cardiac arrest last year and their mother Rani, an Asha worker, was looking after them. Rani, holding her son’s photograph, was inconsolable.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Ravi Kumar was a talented student. He was also a favourite of many of the villagers. "We have lost our village kid," said a villager. The residents were heard blaming the bus driver for negligence.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Pandavapura tahsildar D Hanumantharayappa attended the cremation on behalf of the government. The Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP) has announced a compensation of Rs 10,000 each to the families of the 30 victims. The cheques will be distributed to the families in a day, said a spokesperson of SKDRDP.</p>
<p>Hundreds of grieving residents of Vadesamudra village in the taluk, on Sunday, bid a tearful adieu to eight people, including three schoolchildren, who met a watery grave as a private bus plunged into Visvesvaraya canal on Saturday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Out of the 30 passengers who were killed in the accident, eight were from Vadesamudra and a mass cremation of the bodies was held at the burial ground of the village.</p>.<p class="bodytext">People of different castes came together to perform the final rites of the deceased. Not only the people of Vadesamudra, but also those from various parts of the taluk participated.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The bodies of Ravi Kumar (12), Prashanth (13), Pavithra (12), Rathnamma, Shashikala, Chikkaiah, Kamalamma and Kariyaiah were cremated simultaneously.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The mortal remains of the deceased were brought to the burial ground in the morning, after performing the rituals at their houses.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Raghu, younger brother of Ravi Kumar, who performed the latter's last rites, said Ravi had told him to come early from school. “So, I reached home early, but ‘Anna’ (brother) never came back home,” Raghu said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The children’s father Shankar died of cardiac arrest last year and their mother Rani, an Asha worker, was looking after them. Rani, holding her son’s photograph, was inconsolable.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Ravi Kumar was a talented student. He was also a favourite of many of the villagers. "We have lost our village kid," said a villager. The residents were heard blaming the bus driver for negligence.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Pandavapura tahsildar D Hanumantharayappa attended the cremation on behalf of the government. The Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP) has announced a compensation of Rs 10,000 each to the families of the 30 victims. The cheques will be distributed to the families in a day, said a spokesperson of SKDRDP.</p>