IAF Chopper crash: Several hundreds of people bid tearful adieu to IAF Junior Warrant Officer Pradeep Arackal

In Kerala, several hundreds of people from different walks of life bid a tearful adieu to IAF Junior Warrant Officer Pradeep Arackal, one of the 13 persons killed in the copter crash that took place near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.

The mortal remains were brought to the IAF Station at Sulur in Coimbatore this morning, from where they were taken to Thrissur in Kerala by road. People lined up in large numbers at many places along the National Highway between Coimbatore and Thrissur, raising patriotic slogans and showering petals, as the convoy carrying the body moved on.

Pradeep’s body was kept at his alma mater — the Government Vocational Higher Secondary School at Puthur — where people turned out in large numbers to pay last respects.

Later,  the body was taken to his residence at Ponnukkara nearby, where it was cremated with full military and police honours. His seven-year-old son lit the funeral pyre.