MUMBAI: An elderly couple from Solapur district in Maharashtra and a young air hostess who was the pride of her village were among those who died in the tragic Air India flight crash in Gujarat.
The London-bound flight crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon, killing several passengers and crew.
Mahadev Tukaram Pawar (68) and his wife Asha Mahadev Pawar (60), residents of Hatid village in Sangola tehsil of Solapur district, were on their way to London to meet their son.
The ill-fated aircraft crashed minutes after departing from Ahmedabad, ending their journey in tragedy. Mahadev Pawar was assigned seat number 185, and Asha Pawar was in seat 186.
A senior official from the Solapur district administration said the Pawars had been living in Ahmedabad for several years. Mahadev Pawar previously worked in a textile mill in Nadiad, Gujarat, while their son works as a driver.
"In search of work, the Pawar family left the drought-prone Solapur district 15 years ago and settled in Gujarat. They had recently visited Hatid to meet their relatives," the official said.
Another victim of the crash was 26-year-old Maithali Patil, an air hostess from Nava village in Panvel. She was the first person from her village to become a flight attendant, and her success was celebrated widely in her hometown with posters and banners. Patil had been working with Air India for the last two years and was on her seventh international trip.
“She had a dream to become an air hostess,” a relative said, as her grieving parents rushed to Ahmedabad after hearing the devastating news. The entire Nava village is in mourning after losing one of its brightest young women.
The Boeing 787-8 aircraft was carrying 242 people, including passengers and crew, when it crashed. According to Air India, 169 of them were Indian nationals, 53 were British nationals, seven were Portuguese, and one was Canadian.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in Gujarat that the number of those confirmed dead in the plane crash would be announced only after DNA tests and verification of the passenger list.
