Dubai: The Air India Express IX-1344 crash on August 7 is reminiscent of the tragic 2010 crash of the same carrier.
On May 22, 2010, Flight 812 AI Express from Dubai to Mangalore had crashed claiming 158 lives, while eight onboard had miraculously survived.
The aircraft, a Boeing 737, had overshot the runway and fallen off a hillside, bursting Into flames.
This accident was particularly painful for Gulf News as we lost our staffer Manirekha Punja. She worked in the finance department of Gulf News and was traveling with her husband Shashikant and daughter Harshini to attend a cousin’s wedding in Mangalore. All three died in the air crash.
Lovingly called Rekha by her colleagues, she was a very lively and optimistic person.
“May 22, 2010 was the saddest day in our life,” said P. M. Jayasimha Shetty, brother of Manirekha, then, in a statement to Gulf News.
“It has drained out all the happiness in our life.”
