PATHANAMTHITTA: The family of Ranjitha Gopakumaran Nair, a 39-year-old nurse who tragically lost her life in the Air India flight crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, continues to wait for confirmation of her identity through DNA testing. The delay has deepened the anguish of her loved ones, who remain at her ancestral home in Pullad.
Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian visited the family on Thursday, offering his condolences and assuring them of the government’s support. He pledged to expedite the repatriation process once DNA results confirm Ranjitha’s identity.
According to officials, Ranjitha’s brother, Ratheesh G Nair, had provided a DNA sample in Ahmedabad, but results are yet to be released. As the process gets delayed, he, along with his uncle Unnikrishnan, is staying back there.
“It may take some time as there are hundreds of DNA cases to process. From what we have learned, it could cause a further delay of a few days,” District Collector S Prem Krishnan said.
Ranjitha, who worked in the UK for the past year, was returning after a brief visit home to complete formalities for renewing her government job in Kerala. A dedicated nurse, she had previously worked in Oman and had also secured a position at the Pathanamthitta General Hospital five years ago.
Her tragic death has left her children Induchoodan, a Class 10 student, and Idhika, in Class 3 and her elderly mother, Thulasi, heartbroken. Neighbours and well-wishers have gathered at the family home to offer their support, recalling Ranjitha’s dreams of settling in her hometown and moving into a new house she was building for her family.
Ranjitha is the youngest daughter of the Gopakumaran Nair-Thulasi couple. She pursued nursing from Pandalam and began her career in Gujarat before working abroad. Her tragic journey began on Wednesday, June 11, from Tiruvalla to Ernakulam, followed by flights through Chennai and Ahmedabad, where she boarded the ill-fated flight to London.
The district administration is coordinating with authorities to ensure the earliest possible resolution, but the wait for DNA results continues to prolong the family’s mourning and delay funeral arrangements.