The mortal remains of Aneesh Mohan, 43, a geologist who was killed in a landslide at a tunnel construction site in Sikkim, were cremated at his residence at Pathazhakkuzhy in Pampady on Saturday. The funeral was held in the evening after members of the public paid their last respects. Water Resources Minister Mons Joseph paid homage on behalf of the Kerala government.

The process of bringing the body back to Kerala was expedited following the intervention of the State government. The mortal remains were transported by ambulance from Sikkim to Kolkata airport, where they arrived by around noon on Friday. The body was embalmed in a specially arranged mobile unit before being flown to Kochi. It reached the airport on Saturday morning and was later taken by ambulance to his residence in Kottayam.

Aneesh’s wife Sangeetha, his brothers Sanal and Bineesh, and officials of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), where he was employed, accompanied the mortal remains. The accident occurred on July 20 inside a seven-kilometre tunnel under construction in Namchi district as part of Stage IV of the Teesta Hydroelectric Project.

A senior manager and geologist with the NHPC, Aneesh had been associated with the organisation for the past 16 years. Posted to Sikkim from Haryana seven months ago, he was part of the team responsible for assessing the geological characteristics of the tunnel. Aneesh completed his Bachelor’s degree in Geology at Government College, Kottayam, between 2001 and 2004, and obtained his Master’s degree from the same institution between 2004 and 2006. He joined the NHPC in Haryana in 2011 and had been living there with his family before being transferred to Sikkim.

Aneesh is survived by his wife, children Arnav and Karthyayani, and his parents, P.K. Mohanan and Amminikutty. Aneesh was widely known for his YouTube channel, Scientific Malayali, through which he popularised science among Malayalam-speaking audiences. The channel has more than 2.75 lakh subscribers and features over 203 videos on a wide range of scientific topics.

Published - July 25, 2026 08:00 pm IST