MALAPPURAM: Many people took to social media to pay tribute to the victims of the airplane accident at Kozhikode airport last night.
Shafi Parakkulam, an expatriate Keralite, could not believe the death of his friend, 35-year-old Sharafudheen, a native of Pilassery (Kozhikode) who was on board the ill-fated flight with 184 other passengers.
Parakkulam said that Sharafudheen visited him at his hotel in Dubai before leaving for Kerala. Sharafudheen also handed over some money to Parakkulam to provide food to the poor people. "He visited me at my hotel before leaving for Kerala. He also handed over an amount to me and asked me to provide food to the poor people," Parakkulam wrote on his Facebook.
He says Sharafudheen was worried about something during the time of the visit. "He said to me during the visit that he felt more tension than the usual days. Now, I feel like his intuitions might have told him about something unfortunate in the near future," Parakkulam added. He also promised that he will spend the money of Sharafudheen as wished by him.
Tributes also poured in from all quarters for the deceased pilots Deepak Vasant Sathe and First Officer Akhilesh Kumar who flew for Air India Express. "I pay my homage to Ace Pilot, Ex NDA Wing Commander (retd), Sir D V Sathe, Sword of Honor, resident of Chandivali. The warrior in him has given the ultimate sacrifice of his life in his attempt to save many others," tweeted Mathew Antony.