KOCHI: Three Keralites are among the 13 people who died in the AN-32 aircraft crash in Arunachal Pradesh.
The three are Squadron Leader H Vinod, a native of Thrissur, Sergeant Anoop Kumar of Kollam and Corporal Sharin NK, a native of Kannur.
Squadron leader Vinod is the son of Hariharan, a native of Peringandoor at Mulankunnathukavu in Thrissur, though his family is now settled in Coimbatore. A sergeant at the Jorhat base, Anoop Kumar is the son of Sashidharan and Vimala of Anchal in Kollam. Sherin is the son of P K Pavithran of Anjarakandy in Kannur.
For the past 10 days, Anoop’s friends and families were hopeful of his safe return. News of his death shattered those hopes. Sergeant Anoop Kumar from Kollam district was among the 13 personnel in the AN 32 that was lost for long and finally found crashed. A sergeant at the Jorhat base, he is the son of Sashidharan and Vimala of Anchal in Kollam.
Thirty-four-year-old Anoop had been with the Airforce for the last 12 years.
He had married two years ago after constructing his house which was his long-awaited dream, said a relative. “Two months ago he visited us and took his wife and child along with him. His mother who is under treatment for long is not even aware about her son’s death,” said Rajeev R, Anoop’s cousin.
His wife Vindhyajit and their seven months old son Dhrona A Nair were living with him in Assam. Anoop’s brother Aneesh,29, is in Kollam.
‘No information on further procedures’
Kannur: Anil Kumar, brother of Sharin’s father P K Pavithran, said that, though the Ministry of Defence had informed them about Sharin’s death, they did not have any information regarding the incident and other procedures. “We haven’t yet informed his parents,” he said. On hearing the news, Sharin’s sister Shani and his brother-in-law, Sreejesh, had also reached the house a few days ago.