The funeral rites of late Kharka Chhetri Bhandari (49) and Tula Ram Chamlagai (44), who died in a van crash in Georgia on Tuesday night completed today at the same funeral home in accordance with the Hindu tradition.
An estimated 500 plus Bhutanese, including the representatives from refugee resettlement agencies, well-wishers of Bhutanese in the neighborhood in Atlanta, paid their last tributes to late Bhandari and Chamlagai at the funeral home.
All other fellow Bhutanese friends of the deceased, including some non-Bhutanese who wished to attend the funeral processing, were permitted to take a paid-day off from the Perdue chicken processing plant in Perry. The two deceased and all other survivors of the van-accident were working at the Perdue chicken processing plant in Perry.
Mike Dyle, the Superintendent of the ‘D Bone Section’ at the Perdue chicken plant, who attended the funeral processing, said that his company was saddened by the accident news. “They (deceased) were hardworking and good employee at our company,” said Dyle, adding that his company will miss them. Expressing his condolence to the bereaved family, Dyle also wished for the speedy recovery of those injured in the accident.
Meanwhile, Salai, whose last name could not be confirmed immediately, night shift supervisor at the Perdue chicken plant visited the house of bereaved family to express condolence. Salai also consoled the bereaved family members of both the deceased.
It is reportedly learnt that the condition of one Nar Monger, among 11 injured in the accident, is very critical.
A 15-seater van carrying 13 Bhutanese and two African nationals bound to Perry from Atlanta in Georgia crashed Tuesday night at around 9:00 p.m. leaving two dead and all passengers injured.
“A tire blew out,” reported one online portal www.macon.com, quoting Allison Selman-Willis, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman, as the cause of the incident. According to Sheriff’s office, the Chevy 3500 15-passenger van traveled off the road near mile marker 197 in the southbound lanes and overturned.
Contributed by Kamal Dahal for BNS from Atlanta, Georgia.
