New Zealand: Rescuers Find Akshay Miranda's Body on Glacier
By Naveen Frank
Daijiworld Media Network
South Island, Jan 15: The parents of two brothers killed by a glacier collapse in New Zealand are comforted to know their sons will be buried together after the youngest man's body was found on Thursday, a relative says.
The body of 22-year-old Akshay Miranda was located during an aerial search, ten kilometres from the Fox Glacier, after weather conditions in the area improved.
The search was called off last week because of dangerous conditions.
The body of Akshay Miranda was found 10 km downstream from where he and his older brother Ashish were crushed to death by more than 100 tonnes of falling ice at Fox Glacier on New Zealand's South Island on January 8.
Their parents, Ronnie and Winnie Miranda , originally from IC Colony, Borivali, Mumbai, made the heartbreaking trip home to Melbourne on Wednesday with Ashish's body, which was recovered on the day of the tragedy last week.
The brothers' aunt, Clara Fernandes, said that Miranda couple was told Akshay's body had been found about 2 pm (AEDT) on Thursday but were not in a position to comment.
"When Winnie and Ronnie were leaving New Zealand, they were very, very distressed that they were leaving one child behind and feeling very unsettled," she said from the family's Melbourne home.
"They have taken comfort from the fact that they can be buried together."
Ashish, 24, and Akshay, 22, were on holiday with their parents to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary when they ignored warning signs and walked up to the glacier to take photographs.
After the tragedy, rescuers were able to retrieve the body of Ashish but said it was too dangerous at the time to dig through the ice to find his brother.
Fernandes said she was not sure if a family member would travel to New Zealand to accompany Akshay's body on its final journey home.
She said plans to bury Ashish would be delayed until Akshay's body was returned to Melbourne.
Fernandes, who is Winnie Miranda's sister and lives in the United States, said Ronnie was coping better than his wife since their sons' deaths.
"As a mother, for Winnie it has been extremely hard. This is an unspeakable and unimaginable loss," she said.
New Zealand authorities made the breakthrough on Thursday when they spotted a red cap on a riverbed about 500 metres from the glacier.
They found Akshay's body shortly after, 10km downstream on a gravel island in the Fox River.
New Zealand police said Akshay had been found lying on his back with his arms by his side, although it was not yet possible to know the extent of his injuries.
Department of Conservation (DoC) staff in New Zealand has been monitoring the glacier since the large collapse that buried the Australians.
They realized that during the past week a river exiting the glacier had moved 200 metres from its original position, raising the possibility Akshay's body might have been released from the ice by the increased water flow.
"This was confirmed a short time later when DoC staff located a red cap on the riverbed about 500 metres from the glacier. This was believed to have belonged to Akshay," police said in a statement.
"An aerial search of the Fox River was conducted and as a result Akshay was located at 12.30pm (1030 AEDT) approximately 10 kilometres downstream from the glacier, just below the confluence with the Cook River."
His body will be taken to Christchurch for a post-mortem examination before being released to the family.
NZ police said no personal items had been found on Akshay's body, NZPA reported.
Miranda Family Acknowledgement:
Dajiworld spoke today to the aunt of the boys Cynthia Miranda in Mumbai: "On behalf of our family, I thank daijiworld and all those lovely people who assured us of their prayers so we could find Akshay. Our prayers were heard today. I also wish to tell the world that when they retrieved Akshay's haversack from the scene, they found among the normal young man's belongings of camera and mobile phone, they also found a small pocket bible. It is comforting for us to know that they did not forget God even until the end.
We request you to continue to pray for the parents Ronnie and Winnie Miranda who travelled to Melbourne yesterday (Wednesday) with Ashish. They will now await the arrival of their younger son`s mortal remains and both will be laid to rest alongside." she said
Read earlier report & Condolence messages: