Patna/Arrah/Khagaria, Dec 24 (PTI) Rich tributes were on Saturday paid to Naik Pramod Singh, who was among the 16 Army personnel killed in an accident in Sikkim the day before, an official said.

According to Patna District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh, floral wreaths were placed on the mortal remains of Singh at the Patna airport from where the body was taken to his village in Bhojpur district for last rites.

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"Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Chaitanya Prasad and Director General of Police R S Bhatti were among those present at the airport from where the body was taken in an Army truck", the DM told PTI.

A pall of gloom has descended upon Bampalli village, about 65 kms from the state capital Patna, where Singh's elder brother Ajay Singh awaited his younger sibling's mortal remains, and the wife and children of the deceased, who lived in Dehradun and have flown down after the tragedy.

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"Pramod was sweet-tempered and the youngest among four siblings, including two sisters. He had joined the Army in 2011. We had a great time when he came to the village on a vacation. He left to resume duty 20-25 days back. Who could have thought we were seeing him for the last time," said the bereaved brother amid sobs.

Financial support to the deceased soldier's two children - a son and a daughter - till they complete their education and a memorial at the village are the bereaved family member's only expectations from the government.

Meanwhile, in Panchkhutti village of Khagaria district, some 200 kms from the state capital and north of the Ganges, crestfallen relatives are waiting for the mortal remains of Naib Subedar Chandan Kumar Mishra, another braveheart from Bihar, who was killed in the accident.

His family members had left for Sikkim to bring back the body and his wife and children who lived with him in the northeastern state.

Bodies of all 16 soldiers, except Mishra, were flown by special IAF aircraft to different airports.

Mishra's mortal remains, being brought by road, are likely to reach his village late in the night where last rites will be performed on Sunday.

The 16 bravehearts lost their lives when an Army truck they were travelling in skidded down a steep slope at Zema in North Sikkim on Friday morning.

Earlier in the day, wreaths were laid on the mortal remains of the deceased soldiers at Bagdogra airport, near Siliguri city in West Bengal, at a solemn ceremony after the bodies reached the facility from Libing helipad in East Sikkim, an Army official said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)