HYDERABAD: The bodies of Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Rajashekhara Reddy and his four co-passengers were brought to Kurnool for autopsy at about 1430 hrs IST today. The bodies, which have been charred beyond recognition, have been airlifted to Hyderabad by a MI-8 helicopter of the Indian Air Force.

A huge crowd of mourners had gathered near APSP parade grounds in Kurnool where an IAF helicopter carrying the bodies landed. Security personnel had a tough time controlling the crowd. A large number of Congress workers and supporters have also gathered outside the Congress office in Hyderabad. Many of them were seen wailing and carrying placards praising the dead Andhra chief minister. Rajashekhara Reddy’s body was brought to Hyderabad later this evening and kept at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium for the public to pay their homage.

The chief minister’s body will be flown to his hometown Pulivendula in Kadapa district tomorrow for state funeral will take place, said Andhra chief secretary P Ramakanth Reddy.

All Central and state government offices in Andhra Pradesh will remain closed tomorrow. The mangled and burnt remains along with the charred remains of the YSR and his four co-passengers on board the helicopter was spotted on the top of Rudrakonda Hill, 74 km east of Kurnool by Indian Air Force helicopters at 0830 hrs IST, nearly 24 hours after it lost contact with the Air Traffic Control at Begumpet Airport in

Hyderabad.