Hundreds bid tearful adieu to mountaineer Mastan Babu

Hyderabad: Hundreds bid tearful adieu to India's ace mountaineer Malli Mastan Babu, who was buried in his native village in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday.

The last rites of the 40-year-old, who died while scaling a mountain between Argentina and Chile, were performed with state honours in a family field in Gandhijana Sangam in Nellore district.
'Mastan Babu amar rahe' rent the air as large number of people accompanied the flower-bedecked vehicle carrying the body from the village to the field. The casket was draped in the national flag as police band played in homage. The policemen accorded gun salute as the body was lowered in the grave.
Earlier, Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, state ministers P. Raghunatha Reddy, P. Narayana, R. Kishore Babu and officials paid their last respects. Naidu, who consoled Mastan Babu's mother and other family members, said his death was a big loss to the state and the country.
People turned out in large numbers from surrounding villages to see their hero for the last time.The mountaineer's body was brought home from Argentina on Friday. The mortal remains first reached Delhi and then was flown into Chennai. It was then taken by road to his village.