Lucknow: A 56-year-old Sri Lankan woman visiting India on a religious pilgrimage died after complaining of chest pain while travelling in a tourist bus from Lumbini in Nepal to Shravasti in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday.The woman, Kahapola Ada Raichige, wife of Tusari Inoka and a resident of Kalubowala, Sri Lanka, reportedly developed severe chest pain near Shravasti. Her condition deteriorated rapidly, prompting fellow pilgrims to rush to her aid.A Sri Lankan woman health worker accompanying the group administered first aid and attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but the woman showed no signs of improvement. The bus driver, Mukesh, immediately diverted the vehicle towards Balrampur.She was taken to the District Memorial Hospital where doctors pronounced her dead.The incident cast a pall of gloom over the 46-member Sri Lankan pilgrimage group. According to the bus driver, the group had begun its religious tour from Bhopal and visited several prominent Buddhist sites, including Sanchi, Kaushambi, Varanasi, Gaya, Kushinagar and Vaishali, before travelling to Lumbini in Nepal.The group had departed from Lumbini for Shravasti on Saturday morning. The woman fell critically ill just a few kilometres before reaching the Buddhist pilgrimage site.The pilgrims said their tour was scheduled to continue for another six days, with the group scheduled to leave for Sri Lanka from Delhi on Aug 22. The sudden death of their fellow traveller left the group in shock and mourning.Nagar Kotwali station house officer Santosh Kumar Mishra said the woman’s body was being sent for post-mortem on Sunday. He said the matter was being investigated and that the exact cause of death would be established after the post-mortem report was received.
