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Gujarat minister dies of brain haemorrhage at 45

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Gujarat Minister for Roads and Building Savjibhai Korat passed away at a civil hospital in Ahmedabad this evening.

He was 45, and is survived by his wife, two sons and one daughter.

Official sources said Korat, who was hospitalised on Tuesday after a brain haemorrhage, passed away while in a coma, at 16.25 hours IST.

His body was being taken to the state secretariat at Gandhinagar and later would be kept at the Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party office. His last rites would be performed tomorrow at Sankali in Jetpur taluka, Rajkot district, with full state honours, it has been announced.

Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel, BJP leaders, a number of ministers, and others rushed to the hospital after hearing the news.

Korat had suffered brain haemorrhage on Tuesday while he had gone to visit his ailing mother who had a heart attack and was admitted to hospital. He was rushed to the ICU, and experts from Bombay's Nanavati Hospital, who flew in the same night, had performed an operation on the minister.

The minister's condition was stated to have improved after the operation but subsequently deteriorated, especially since this morning. He was kept on artificial respiration but his life could not be saved.

Governor Anshuman Singh, the chief minister, leader of the opposition Amarsinh Chaudhary, ministers, leaders of various political parties, MPs, MLAs and others have condoled Korat's death.

UNI

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