Two cabin crew members from Manipur among victims in Ahmedabad Air India crash
The aircraft was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain (LTC) with over 8,200 hours of flying experience
Two Manipur cabin crew members feared dead in the crash.
Imphal, June 12: Two cabin crew members from Manipur — Nganthoi Sharma Kongbrailatpam and Lamnunthem Singson — were among those who lost their lives in the tragic Air India plane crash near Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon.
The aircraft was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain (LTC) with over 8,200 hours of flying experience, assisted by First Officer Clive Kunder, who had logged 1,100 flying hours.
Apart from Nganthoi and Lamnunthem, the cabin crew included senior members Shradha Dhavan and Aparna Mahadik, along with Saineeta Chakravarti, Deepak Pathak, Maithili Patil, Irfan Shaikh, Roshni Songhare Rajendra, and Manisha Thapa.
A few hours ago, Air India confirmed that its flight AI171, operating from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in “an accident” shortly after takeoff.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had departed from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38 pm with 242 passengers and crew members on board. Among them were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian national, and seven Portuguese nationals.
The aircraft reportedly crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel, located adjacent to the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad. The incident occurred around lunchtime when the hostel’s mess area was crowded with medical students.
Photos and videos of the wreckage and the crash’s impact on the hostel have gone viral on social media, sparking shock and grief across the country.
Flight operations at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport have been temporarily suspended until further notice, airport officials confirmed.
In a symbolic gesture of mourning, Air India has changed its social media profile to black — a step the airline last took after the fatal Kozhikode crash in August 2020.
The airline has also set up a helpline (1800 5691 444) for families seeking information about their loved ones. Investigations into the cause of the crash are currently underway.