The body of Aneesh Mohan, a geologist and NHPC manager from Kottayam, was repatriated to his hometown on July 25, 2026. He died in a methane gas explosion in a hydroelectric tunnel under construction in the state of Sikkim.
The funeral of Aneesh Mohan, 43, from Pathazhakuzhi in Pampady, will be held today at 2 PM within his family home, following a period of public mourning. According to Manoramaonline, the rapid repatriation of the body was made possible by the direct intervention of the state government and the support of NORKA, which accelerated administrative and logistical procedures.
Circumstances of the Sikkim accident
The tragedy occurred on July 20 at a large hydroelectric project located in Samardung, in the Namchi district, in southern Sikkim. Siraj Daily states that the site involved excavating a massive tunnel through the mountain to channel water from a dam to a power generation facility.
At the time of the collapse caused by underground drilling, 25 people were inside the structure, including engineers, supervisors, and workers. Twenty bodies had already been recovered and identified during the initial rescue operations, while search teams actively continued their efforts to locate the remaining five missing persons.
A methane gas leak as the cause of the explosion
Technical investigations point to a specific cause for the disaster. Concurring sources indicate that the structure collapsed due to an explosion triggered by a methane gas leak while the drills were penetrating deep into the rock.
The victim held the position of manager at the local branch of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC, the federal public body overseeing this major hydroelectric project. Known also for his activities as a science popularizer and travel vlogger, the deceased scientist was accompanied on the return journey by several family members, including his wife Sangeetha, his brothers Sanal and Bineesh, as well as representatives of his employer.
Aerial transport marked by technical challenges
The transport of the body from the Himalayan heights to Kerala required a complex logistics operation. Manoramaonline reports that the body was first transported by ambulance from the mountainous areas of Sikkim to the Calcutta airport, where it arrived in the afternoon of the previous day.
A mobile medical unit then carried out embalming procedures on site around 3:30 PM. Although the body was recovered as early as July 22, initial technical constraints raised by local authorities had threatened to prohibit embalming, creating a brief uncertainty about the feasibility of the repatriation. Once this obstacle was overcome, the body boarded an Air India flight that departed at 11 PM, landing in Kochi early the next morning before being transported by road to Kottayam.
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