Kochi | The mortal remains of a Kerala-based geologist who died in the tunnel collapse at the NHPC hydropower project in Sikkim arrived at Kochi airport on Saturday morning, officials said.

25 people were killed in the incident, including 43-year-old Aneesh Mohan, a native of Pampady in Kottayam district.

Officials at Cochin International Airport Limited said the body arrived on a flight from Kolkata at around 7.30 am.

It was handed over to his relatives and taken by ambulance to his native village of Pathazhakkuzhy in Velloor, near Pampady, where the last rites will be held in the evening, they said.

Aneesh was a senior manager and geologist with the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation in Sikkim.

The tunnel collapsed on July 20, and his body was recovered two days later.

He was well known on social media through his YouTube channel, Scientific Malayali, which has over 2.7 lakh subscribers.

Following the recovery of his body, it was transported by road to Kolkata. It was embalmed at Kolkata airport at around 3.30 pm on Friday in a special mobile embalming unit arranged following the intervention of NORKA, the Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs, according to a statement issued by the CMO.

His relatives said Aneesh joined NHPC in 2011 and had worked in Haryana before being transferred to Sikkim seven months ago.

He is survived by his parents, P K Mohanan and Amminikutty; his wife, Dr Sangeetha; and their children, Arnav and Karthiyani.