Chennai: In Gummidipoondi and Madhavaram, nearly 40km apart, two families spent Sunday waiting for loved ones who would never walk through the door again. Babu Kuppusamy, 52, and Santhosh Kumar, 47, were among the 15 Indian tourists killed in the speedboat accident near Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island. Their bodies are yet to be brought back.A day after the tragedy, relatives gathered at Babu’s home in Kottaikkarai village in Gummidipoondi, recalling memories of him. His 21-year-old son, who was supposed to return to Noida after meeting his father, remained at home waiting for updates. At Santhosh’s apartment on the first floor of a gated community in Madhavaram, women sat quietly in the corridor. The men, both distributors associated with Lava Phones, who had qualified for an incentive trip to Vietnam after achieving their sales targets. The trip was organised by a private tour company, and they were scheduled to return to Chennai on Sunday morning.Babu is survived by his wife, Revathy, and their children, Jashwanth, 21, and Neha, 19. The family learnt about the tragedy through news on TV. When they contacted a person they knew in Vietnam, they were told that Babu had been injured and admitted to a hospital. Later, they were informed that he had died.Outside the house, Jashwanth stood clutching copies of his father’s documents needed for the repatriation process. “My mother and sister are struggling to come to terms with the tragedy. We are trying to keep things together, but the delay in getting his body back is making it difficult,” he said. Sailesh G, Babu’s nephew, remembered him as a family man. “He never went on trips, apart from one to Thailand 10 years ago. In fact, his passport had expired. He didn’t really wanted to go on this trip, but did so only because his friends compelled him to,” he said. “Till now, we have not received any information from either the govt or the private company,” he added.Waiting below Santhosh’s house in Madhavaram, his brother, Anand S, said Santhosh was used to travelling abroad for company-sponsored trips. “There was nothing to fear. Every six months, they would have meetings about targets and those who achieved them would qualify for these trips,” he said. Santhosh is survived by his wife, Sunita Devi, and their children, Yash, 21, and Varsha, 20. As silence and helplessness hang over the homes, both families await the completion of the repatriation process, glued to the news for updates. Tiruvallur collector S Kavitha said she’s yet to get updates, while Chennai district authorities couldn’t be reached.
