Manipur Mourns Loss Of 2 Young Flight Attendants In Ahmedabad Plane Crash

Manipur lost two young professionals in the Air India plane crash in Gujarat's Ahmedabad on Thursday. The families are devastated by the huge loss.

Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma and Lamnunthem Singson worked with the Tata-owned airline as flight attendants. Both were in their early 20s.

Nganthoi Sharma, a resident of Thoubal district, joined the airline in April 2023 after Air India selected her during campus recruitment at DM College of Commerce in the state capital Imphal.

Lamnunthem and her family once lived in Imphal's Old Lambulane, but had to leave after ethnic clashes broke out in May 2023. Since then, her family has been living in Kangpokpi district as internally displaced persons, or IDPs.

Nganthoi Sharma's father, K Nandeshkumar, and mother are in trauma and could not gather the strength to speak. Nganthoi Sharma was the second of three siblings, all girls.

"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 to London today, and that she would be unreachable," Nganthoi Sharma's elder sister Gitanjali told NDTV.

Nganthoi Sharma's elder sister Gitanjali at their house in Manipur's Thoubal

"She said she would return on 15 June. I wished her a safe flight and told her we'd contact her when we get the internet connection back. Then we heard of the plane crash from an aunt on the phone. She said an Air India flight had crashed in Ahmedabad; the plane was going to London. This is how we confirmed it," Gitanjali said and broke down.

Internet had been snapped in some valley areas after protests broke out over the arrest of an Arambai Tenggol member last week.

"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 said.

Lamnunthem Singson's Family In Kangpokpi Devastated

In Kangpokpi district, where Lamnunthem's family lives, a heavy silence cloaked Ngambom Veng amid a gathering of residents at the small rented house of the family displaced by the ethnic conflict.

The community came not only to offer prayers, but to stand by a mother whose heart waited for a word, a confirmation, a hope that her daughter might still return.

Lamnunthem's mother, Nemneilhing Singson, held on to the last conversation she had with her daughter less than 24 hours ago, "I'm travelling to Ahmedabad to report for duty."

Her words carried sorrow and also the faint light of a mother's hope - that perhaps, against all odds, her daughter might still come home.

Lamnunthem was the only daughter in a family of three siblings. Her father Lenminlun Singson died some years ago, and her mother single handedly raised the children alone.

People gather at Lamnunthem Singson's rented house in Kangpokpi where her mother and siblings live

Today, the warmth of the community enveloped Nemneilhing as she sat in silent anguish, tears flowing freely, surrounded by neighbours, friends and strangers alike - all united in prayer.

The Thadou Students' Association General Headquarters (TSA-GHQ) in a statement offered condolences to the families of both the flight attendants in Thoubal and Kangpokpi.

"Lamnunthem Singson... recently joined Air India as cabin crew in 2024, and her untimely death is a great loss to her family and the Thadou community. TSA extends heartfelt condolences to both bereaved families and assures all necessary assistance to the family of Lamnunthem Singson and Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma's during this difficult time," the TSA GHQ said.

The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 242 people crashed immediately after take-off from Ahmedabad airport this afternoon, in one of the worst ever aviation tragedies in India. There were 232 passengers and 10 crew on the flight which was headed to London.

An Indian-origin British national -- the passenger of seat No. 11A -- survived the crash.

The plane slammed into a hostel for doctors of a medical college, killing several students. Debris had pierced through the wall of the dining hall of the hostel, with food still visible on some of the plates.

Several videos including CCTV at the airport showed the aircraft flying low and struggling to gain altitude before crashing and exploding in a massive ball of fire at 1.38 pm. It was loaded with fuel since it was flying a long distance to London.

Shortly after take-off, the pilot sent out a mayday call. There was no response after that to repeated calls from the air traffic controller.