IMPHAL, June 12: Two cabin crew members from Manipur — Nganthoi Sharma Kongbrailatpam and Lamnunthem Singson have been identified among the cabin crew members aboard the ill-fated Air India flight that crash near Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon.
The ill-fated flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick when it met with a fatal accident shortly after takeoff at 1:38 p.m. from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The aircraft crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel, located adjacent to the Civil Hospital, at a time when the hostel’s mess was crowded with students.
The aircraft was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain (LTC) with over 8,200 hours of flying experience. He was assisted by First Officer Clive Kunder, who had logged around 1,100 hours. Both were part of a seasoned flight crew.
Apart from Nganthoi and Lamnunthem, the cabin crew also included senior staff members Shradha Dhavan, Aparna Mahadik, Saineeta Chakravarti, Deepak Pathak, Maithili Patil, Irfan Shaikh, Roshni Songhare Rajendra, and Manisha Thapa.
Air India confirmed the accident a few hours after the crash, stating that flight AI171 was involved in an “incident” involving the aircraft and ground structures soon after departure. A total of 242 people were on board, including passengers and crew. Among them were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, one Canadian, and seven Portuguese nationals.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos as the aircraft struck the hostel building, causing a massive fire and structural damage. Videos and photos of the wreckage flooded social media, prompting an outpouring of shock, grief, and condolences from across the country.
Flight operations at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport have been suspended until further notice, according to airport officials.
In a symbolic act of mourning, Air India has changed its social media profile images to black, a move reminiscent of the airline’s tribute following the 2020 Kozhikode crash.
