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Crowds throng Staines's funeral

The mortal remains of the Australian missionary Graham Stewart Staines and his two sons, Philip and Timothy, were laid to rest this afternoon at the Christian cemetery at Baripada in Orissa.

The mortal remains were kept inside three coffins covered with floral wreaths offered by friends and admirers at the lawn of the church campus.

David Poulter, first secretary (consular and administration) in the Australian high commission at New Delhi and Unni Krishnan, assistant consular officer in the high commission were present during the last rites.

They arrived in Baripada yesterday to meet Gladys Staines, widow of the missionary, besides taking stock of the situation.

A mass and reading of scriptures from the Bible in front of the residence of Staines was conducted before the procession started from the church campus.

Banners saying 'long live Graham, Philip and Timothy' in English and 'Graham, Philip and Timothy amar rahe ' in Oriya were displayed at the place of the prayer, with the coffin lying on the flower bedecked lawn.

The procession carrying the coffins in an open truck, all along its one-kilometre route from the church to the Christian cemetery, was watched by people who gathered in large numbers on both sides of the road.

UNI

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