Unwilling to believe that the love of his life was gone, Ramdial Baboolal, 70, clutched his wife's casket and sobbed uncontrollably during her funeral at Debe on Friday.
Nobody was able to see Baboolal's face for the final time. Her head was decapitated during the horrific crash involving a truck and a PTSC bus on Tuesday.
Baboolal, 66, and Judy Clarke, 61, of Diego Martin who were passengers in the bus, died while 48 others were injured following the crash.
Reports said the driver of a dump truck was heading south when the right front tyre blew out, causing him to crash into a water delivery truck which crossed the median and slammed into the bus which was heading north near the Munroe Road flyover. The driver of the bus escaped suffered several cuts from broken glass but managed to veer the bus to safely to the side of the road.
Hundreds of mourners packed the family's home at Congo Village, Ramai Trace, filling every available space. The wailing of her family started as soon as the hearse came into the street, blaring Hindu bhajans.
Baboolal, who was married to Tara for 49 years, held on to the casket and sobbed. He gazed at her photograph which stood at the top of the sealed coffin. Granddaughter Rianna Baboolal hugged her grandfather and comforted him while Baboolal's brothers and sisters wiped away tears.
Pundit Satyam Keso Maharaj said death was one of the mysteries of life. However, he said the tragedy that befell the family and several others following the bus crash was shocking.
"When I heard about this unforeseen tragedy I was taken aback. These are the things we only see in movies or read on the papers. How could it happen to one of our own," he asked.
"Only when the reality of it comes at you at home, only then it becomes much more believable," he said.
Maharaj called on the mourners to never take life for granted but to love one another.
Minister of Works Rohan Sinanan was present at the Shore of Peace, in Mosquito Creek where Baboolal was cremated.
Sinanan said that the Public Service Transport Corporation and the Ministry of Works will offer assistance to all the families affected by the crash.
"We are here to show our condolences and sympathy to this family. It was an accident. PTSC has reached out to family and they were at their home every day since the accident. I reached out to the family last night and I assured them that wherever we can assist, we will stand with them."
Sinanan said nobody could ever be prepared to deal with death.