The news of the tragic crash of an Air India plane at Karipur Airport in Kozhikode has left the country shaken. The flight which took off from Dubai and split into two as it skidded off the runway in the rain, has so far claimed at least 16 lives and injured 156 passengers.
The flight was repatriating Indians who were stranded due to the pandemic. A heartbreaking selfie taken on the flight by a family of three has gone viral.
The family hails from Mallapuram, Kerala and can be seen wearing face masks and shields in the picture, which was captioned “Back to home”. The father, Sharafu Pilassery, 35, tragically lost his life during the crash and took his last breath at the Baby Memorial Hospital.
His wife, Ameena Sherin has been admitted to the hospital and is undergoing treatment. Some reports state that the 2-year-old toddler, Isa Fathima is currently fighting for her life at the Kozhikode Medical College hospital, while others say that she has only minor injuries, we are awaiting update on her condition.
A friend of Sharafu’s, Shafi Parakkulam shared a post on Facebook recalling the father’s last day in Dubai before he got on the flight.
എന്റെ കൂട്ടുകാരൻ ഷറഫു ഇന്നത്തെ ഫ്ലൈറ്റ് അപകടത്തിൽ മരണപ്പെട്ട വാർത്ത വളരെ വേദനയോടെയാണ് കേട്ടത്.. 😪😪 നാട്ടിലേക്ക്…
Posted by Shafi Parakkulam on Friday, 7 August 2020
Before he left to Kerala, he came to my hotel to say goodbye. He was upset and said, ‘I don’t know why but I feel tensed about going back home’. I almost feel like he had a premonition about what would happen. He gave me money and told me to use it to give food to those who are stranded and those who don’t have jobs.
-Shafi Parakkulam
The pilot and the co-pilot of the plane, Captain Deepak Vasant Sathe and First Officer Akhilesh Kumar also lost their lives in the devastating crash.