Imphal, June 22 (IANS) The mortal remains of 20-year-old Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma, one of the two Air India crew members from Manipur who were killed in the horrific plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, arrived in Imphal on Sunday.

Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma and 26-year-old Lamnunthem Singson, the two Air India crew members from the northeastern state, were killed in the Ahmedabad plane crash, which claimed 275 lives, including 241 passengers and crew and 34 people on the ground, as the plane had crashed into a hostel of a medical college.

Grief-stricken family members of the slain crew member, senior officials, elected leaders, local people and community leaders received the mortal remains of Sharma at the Bir Tikendrajit International Airport in Imphal.

Congress’ Lok Sabha Member from Manipur Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, Manipur Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar Singh, Director General of Police Rajiv Singh and many other important personalities paid floral tributes to Sharma.

After some rituals and formalities, her body was later taken to Thoubal district, where the last rites would take place.

Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma belonged to the non-tribal Meitei community and hailed from Manipur’s Thoubal district.

Earlier, family members of Sharma went to Ahmedabad to complete the necessary formalities for getting the remains of their loved one.

Sharma’s last message to the family before takeoff was, “I’m going to London. In a few minutes, we’ll take off. We may not be able to talk afterwards.”

She was recruited by Air India during a recruitment call in Imphal three years ago, while studying for an undergraduate course.

“She got selected and was based in Mumbai,” family members said.

Meanwhile, hundreds of local people, family members, relatives and senior officials on June 20 bid a tearful farewell to 26-year-old Lamnunthem Singson, in Manipur’s tribal inhabited Kangpokpi district.

The mortal remains of Singson first arrived in Nagaland’s Dimapur airport from Ahmedabad on June 19 and were then taken to Kangpokpi district, avoiding Manipur’s capital, Imphal, due to the ongoing ethnic tension and security reasons.

Singson was a resident of Kangpokpi district and belonged to the tribal Thadou community.

On June 12, Air India’s Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 passengers and crew crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad. There was only one survivor, a British passenger named Ramesh Vishwas Kumar, who miraculously escaped the tragedy.

–IANS

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