Imphal, June 12: “I’m going to London. In a few minutes, we’ll take off. We may not be able to talk for a while,” minutes before the ill-fated Air India flight (AI 171) took off, 20-year-old cabin crew member Nganthoi Sharma sent her last message at 11:38 AM to her sister.
Her sister at home broke down in tears, repeatedly looking at the message Nganthoi had sent her.
Among the 242 people on board, two cabin crew members are from Manipur (among the 10 crew members feared dead): 20-year-old Nganthoi Sharma, daughter of Kongrailatpam Nandeshkumar (Icha) and Kongrailatpam Mala of Thoubal Awang Leikai, Thoubal District; and 25-year-old Lamnunthem Singson from Churachandpur District.
The news of the crash has left the state in deep shock. The Khangabok Assembly Constituency MLA, Okram Surjakumar, visited Nganthoi’s residence today to share in the family’s grief and extend his condolences.
The plane was headed for Gatwick Airport, south of the British capital, Air India said, while police officers confirmed it crashed in a residential area near the airport.
The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 13:38 hrs, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Of these, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 1 Canadian national, and 7 Portuguese nationals.
