New Delhi, June 13 (IANS) Grief has gripped the Sant Tukaram Nagar area of Pimpri-Chinchwad in Maharashtra as the family of 28-year-old Irfan Shaikh, a cabin crew member in the ill-fated Air India flight that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday, mourns his death.

Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing all the passengers on board, including the crew members.

The fatalities include almost all 230 passengers and the 12 crew members onboard. Irfan was among the 12 cabin crew members who lost their lives in the crash. Only one passenger miraculously survived.

Speaking to IANS, Irfan’s uncle, Firoz Shaikh, said that the young crew member had called his mother shortly before boarding the ill-fated flight. “He used to talk to his parents daily. Before this flight too, he spoke to his mother. None of us imagined it would be our last conversation with him,” said Firoz.

On being asked to comment on his aviation journey, he said that Irfan completed a cabin crew training course, and he began his career with Vistara. Following the merger between Air India and Vistara, he was absorbed into the Air India workforce and was flying international routes. “He has been working as a cabin crew for the past 1-1.5 years, and nobody would’ve thought that he would die in such a tragic incident. It’s extremely sad and tragic, and we are still unable to cope with this tragedy,” he said.

“Irfan’s parents and elder brother rushed to Ahmedabad as soon as news of the crash reached them. His brother’s DNA sample has been collected to assist in identifying Irfan’s remains. The family has been told that results will take 48 to 72 hours, after which the body may be released,” he added.

–IANS

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