- The body of 20-year-old flight attendant Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma was brought to Imphal today
- She was one of two flight attendants from Manipur killed in the Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad
- Nganthoi Sharma was recruited by Air India three years ago and was based in Mumbai
The body of 20-year-old Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma, a flight attendant from Manipur who was killed in the Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad, was brought to Imphal today.
She was one of the two flight attendants from the state who were killed in the crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. The other was Lamnunthem Singson, 26.
Nganthoi Sharma's family members, devastated by the huge loss, have been inconsolable since the news of the tragedy reached them on June 12. The family went to Ahmedabad and stayed there for the painful wait of the confirmation of the DNA sample.
Kongrailatpam Nandesh Kumar Sharma mourns the death of his daughter K Nganthoi Sharma, crew member of the Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12, in Imphal on Sunday (ANI)
A large number of people including residents, senior officials, elected leaders and community representatives stood outside Imphal's Bir Tikendrajit International Airport as they received the body of the flight attendant.
The Congress's Lok Sabha MP A Bimol Akoijam, Manipur Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar Singh, Director General of Police Rajiv Singh and others paid floral tributes to Nganthoi Sharma. Her body was then taken to Thoubal district, where the last rites took place.
Nganthoi Sharma's last message to her family before taking off was, "I'm going to London. In a few minutes, we'll take off. We may not be able to talk afterwards."
Nganthoi Sharma's father, K Nandeshkumar, and mother are still in trauma. She was the second of three siblings, all girls.
The body of K Nganthoi Sharma arrives for the last rites, at Imphal International Airport on Sunday (ANI)
"It was her dream to become a flight attendant. We couldn't chat on video as usual due to the internet ban. But she messaged me while I was in school that she would be flying today, and that she would be unreachable," Nganthoi Sharma's elder sister Gitanjali told NDTV on June 12.
"After completing Class 12, she enrolled in DM College of Commerce. She was very keen on trying for a cabin crew job. She cracked it in her first try; she was very happy in thinking about going to many destinations," Gitanjali had said.
K Nandesh Kumar Sharma, the father of K Nganthoi Sharma, in Imphal on Sunday (ANI)
Air India recruited her in Imphal three years ago, while she was studying in an undergraduate programme.
"She got selected and was based in Mumbai," a family member said.
There were 242 passengers on board the Air India flight. Only one passenger survived the crash.
