Ghatkopar hoarding crash: Actor Kartik Aaryan's uncle & aunt among victims

MUMBAI: The two bodies that were discovered late on Wednesday at the Ghatkopar hoarding crash site were identified as those of Manoj Chansoriya (60), who retired as a general manager at Air Traffic Control (ATC) in March, and wife Anita (59), uncle and aunt of Bollywood actor Kartik Aryan.
When contacted by TOI Kartik Aaryan did not comment on the issue.
Authorities said the bodies were in a decomposed state. The couple, who were heading to their hometown in Jabalpur in MP on Monday, had been reported missing. Chansoriya's cellphone's last signal was traced to the petrol pump. ATC personnel had launched a search for them. It is suspected that the couple stopped at the site to refuel before proceeding further.
A BMC official said that by the way the hoarding had fallen, it's likely they might have died instantly. They were the last two victims to be found before search & rescue operation was called off on Thursday more than 60 hours after the crash during a dust storm Monday evening. The toll stood at 16, with over 75 injured. BMC chief Bhushan Gagrani said the removal of debris would continue, following which the site would be sealed for investigation.
A senior BMC official involved in the search operation at the site said the rescue teams had managed to reach the car in which their victims were trapped, but pulling them out was difficult owing to the severe impact of the crash. A large team worked solely on safely recovering the bodies. "The hoarding fell in a manner that it probably pulled them back on their car seats. It is very likely that they died instantly," said the official.
Pravin Dhat, assistant commandant (operations), NDRF, said, "The relatives of the two missing persons had informed the civic authorities about their mobile location being traced to the site and, therefore, we tried our best to locate them. However, as the hoarding fell flat on the petrol pump, it had become increasingly difficult to spot the two. As we reached closer to the spot, a foul smell was detected and we realised that the duo could be there."
On Thursday, when TOI visited the civic-run Rajawadi Hospital, relatives and colleagues of the couple were on the premises, completing postmortem formalities. The couple's final rites were conducted later by the couple's son, who lives in the US.
A former colleague of Chansoriya said he had commanded a lot of respect at the workplace. Another former colleague said Chansoriya and Anita had returned to Mumbai from Jabalpur for a short visit a few days and were headed back home.