Bodies of three Malayalis killed in building fire in Germany to reach Kerala on October 20

The bodies of three Malaysian youths who tragically died in an apartment fire in the German city of Bochum will be flown back to Kerala on Tuesday (October 20, 2026).

At the request of the families of the victims, the Indian embassy arranged for the bodies to be handed over to a local funeral home without conducting an autopsy. According to G. Devarajan, special representative of the Kerala government in Delhi, the formalities of booking the cargo are being completed and the bodies will be taken by Monday evening.

The victims have been identified as 27-year-old Anjali S. Joy of Kollam, 25-year-old Nova Sabu of Idukki and 27-year-old Sivin Johny of Ernakulam. The repatriation was delayed by a day because funeral homes were closed on Sunday; otherwise the bodies would have been shipped sooner. Although there was a minor technical hurdle as the cargo flights initially only had room for two bodies, the authorities made sure all three got home together.

The state government will bear the transportation cost of around ₹3,000, roughly ₹3,00,000 per body. On arrival at Nedumbassery airport, the mortal remains will be taken to their homes in ambulances provided by the government.

Meanwhile, an investigation into the arson attack on the apartment building is underway. Preliminary findings indicate that the tragedy stemmed from a personal enmity between the owner of the apartment and a Romanian national who is currently in police custody.

Published – 18 Oct 2026 21:02 IST