The United States Consulate issued visas on Wednesday evening to the nine family members of Prof G V Loganathan, who was killed in the shooting at the Virginia Tech University in the US, Consulate sources said in Chennai.

Loganathan's father G K Vasudevan, mother Kannamal, wife Senthamzhiselvi and six more relatives will leave for the US tonight to perform the last rites.

They would take a Lufthansa flight, airport sources told PTI.

Parents of the professor, his wife and brother who did not possess a passport were issued the passports on 'tatkal' basis within an hour by the Regional Passport Officer in Chennai on Wednesday.

Passport officer Sumathy Ravichandran told media persons that passports were issued to G K Vasudevan and V Kannammal, Loganathan's parents, his brother Senguttuvelan and his wife Senthamizhselvi, following instructions from the External Affairs Ministry.

Loganathan, a native of Karattadipalayam in Erode district, had expressed his wish to his wife that his body should be buried in the university campus, if anything untoward happened to him there. The family members have decided to go there to fulfil his wish.