Team Herald
CARMONA/CHINCHINIM: A couple of days after Goans were left shocked by the accident that took place on the Zuari Bridge killing four persons, another terrible tragedy took place in a road accident at Navelim on Tuesday morning, where two grandparents died and three of their family members were injured.
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The elderly couple, Joaquim Rodrigues and his wife, Lina Albertina, who were based in the Gulf were travelling to Goa from Dubai after years and were looking forward to catching up with relatives and friends. They had taken the flight to Dabolim airport along with their daughter, Jessie Ciba Rodrigues and their 16-year-old granddaughter Venetia Noronha. Jessie’s husband Santano Robino Noronha had gone to the airport to pick them up with a Maruti Eco taxi that he had hired.
The taxi was headed to Carmona, where the grandparents Joaquim and Lina have their house in an area called Gavon. However, sources stated that the taxi was supposed to first stop at Chinchinim, where Santano stays and then proceed to Carmona.
However, before they could reach either of the destinations, the accident took place at Navelim and in an instant; the lives of the Rordigues and Noronha family were changed forever.
The accident has certainly shaken up the villages of Tolleaband in Chinchinim, the ward in which Santano Robino lives in.
“We know him as Robin and we are all so upset by this accident,” said Cyril Leitao, a Chinchinim local.
“We cannot believe it and we are very sad about what happened. We know his family, and this is extremely heartbreaking,” said Cyril Leitao, a resident from Chinchinim.
“Robin and Jessie had another daughter named Valanka. She may have been 12 or 13 years old and she passed away last year in the Gulf due to an illness. Jessie is also based in the Gulf. The family had come down to Goa to attend a mass that is scheduled to take place next week, on August 8, in honour of the first death anniversary of Valanka,” said a friend of the family.
Robin, who was the first cousin of (late) Fr Bruno Leitao, also suffered a fracture in the accident and was shifted to Goa Medical College (GMC) in Bambolim after initially being admitted at the District Hospital in Margao. Jessie’s, Robin’s wife, also suffered a fracture and was shifted to GMC as well.
According to people who visited the family in the hospital, Robin and Jessie are not in critical condition but will remain at the hospital as they continue to receive medical treatment. They added that Venetia, Robin and Jessie’s daughter is recovering from injuries but is still very much shocked by the accident where the lives of her precious grandparents were snuffed out.
Venetia and her parents who are now still coming to terms with the untimely loss of Joaquin and Lina, were all still healing from the loss of another family member that had taken place nearly a year ago.
He added that Robin had arrived in Goa eight to ten days ago and while usually, Robin would use the break from work to go visit his family based in the Gulf but this time, they were all going to spend time together in Goa.
His neighbours also pointed out that Robin had already lost his father in the past and now his wife Jessie has lost both her parents too.
“Our hearts feel heavy just talking about it. We are praying for the souls of the two deceased and for Robin’s family to recover from their injuries and find the strength to deal with this irreplaceable loss,” another Chinchinim resident added.
Elsewhere in Carmona, the senior citizens recall Joaquim and Lina and say their hearts go out to their families. They spoke about Lina’s mother and her siblings and would have loved to have caught up with Lina and Joaquim back home in Carmona.
“We had not met them in a long time as they were in the gulf. We are also senior citizens and we know what it is like to see old friends and relatives after ages. We were not expecting this trip to be their last,” added an elderly resident of Carmona.
