In a Telangana village ravaged by floods, at least 25 people risked their own lives to ensure that a 75-year-old got a proper final farewell.
A video that has now gone viral shows the group holding the body aloft and wading through rapidly flowing water from a flooded canal to get to a cremation ground. With the water nearly up to their chest in some places, the people are seen stepping gingerly and supporting each other to ensure they are not washed away.
The incident took place in Vecharani village of Telangana's Siddipet district, where incessant rain over the past few days has flooded the way to the village crematorium, or Vaikuntadham.
After the death of Basavaraj Balaiah yesterday, family members performed the initial rituals and then, accompanied by other villagers, stepped into the canal to carry his body across. The video shows a group of people leading the way, another following them with the body, and a third supporting a disconsolate woman.
A steep drop can also be seen not too far from the group's path. The last 60 seconds of the video present some heart-stopping moments, where the people are barely a few feet from the drop.
Villagers say there was a proposal to build a causeway across the path leading to the cremation ground, which gets flooded regularly when the canal overflows. They claimed tenders were issued and Rs 1.8 crore had been sanctioned, but the village is still waiting for the causeway.
