A Kerala nurse working in the United Kingdom was among the 241 people killed in June 12 Thursday’s Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad — the deadliest aviation disaster globally in a decade.
Ranjitha Gopkumaran Nair 42, a native of Pullad in Pathanamthitta district, was on her way back to London when the ill-fated Flight AI171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing all but one of the 242 passengers on board. The lone survivor, a British national of Indian origin, is undergoing treatment at a hospital.
Ranjitha had reached her hometown from the UK, just three days ago to oversee the construction of her new house in Pullad. She had received a government nursing job in Kerala and was planning to permanently return after completing her contract in the UK.
She had moved to the UK a year ago for work, after spending eight years as a nurse in Oman. Her husband, Vineesh, who had also been in Oman earlier, had since returned to Kerala. The couple have two children — a son Induchoodan, studying in Class 10 and a daughter Ithika, in Class 7. Ranjitha is also survived by her mother, Thulasi, and two elder brothers working abroad.
On June 11, Wednesday, she began her return journey to the UK with a train ride from Thiruvalla to Nedumbassery Airport, followed by connecting flights to Chennai and Ahmedabad. It was from Ahmedabad that the aircraft was scheduled to fly to London Gatwick, but it crashed into a medical college hostel building just minutes after takeoff, reportedly during lunchtime.
The cause of the crash is yet to be officially confirmed. Authorities have begun investigations into what is being described as the most fatal air accident in over ten years.