Ahmedabad plane crash: 38-year-old Kerala nurse among victims of Air India tragedy

Dubai: Ranjitha Gopakimar, a 38-year-old nurse from Thiruvalla in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district, was among those killed in the tragic crash of an Air India flight bound for London from Ahmedabad on Thursday.

Her family has confirmed the news, according to an ANI report.

The Air India flight, carrying 242 passengers and crew, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The aircraft struck a residential doctors’ hostel, causing a massive fire and resulting in multiple fatalities.

Ranjitha, who had been working as a nurse in the United Kingdom, was returning to London after visiting family in Kerala. She is survived by her two children and her mother, who currently live in Thiruvalla.

The aged mother and the children were inconsolable after getting the news of the tragedy, IANS reported.

Ranjitha got a nurse’s job in London less than a year ago.

“Prior to that, she was in the Middle East for about five years. It was yesterday (Wednesday) that she came and told me she is returning to London and expects to be back very soon,” her neighbour said.

“She was on leave from the government health service and had come a few days back to see when she could join the government service here again. She was building her new home and was planning to have the housewarming on the 28th of this month,” the neighbour added.

“She has one son, aged 10, and a girl, aged 7. Ranjitha’s mother was looking after her two children. She told me that now that she is joining back in the state service, I should finish a portion of the new house at the earliest,” the contractor said.

Gopakumar had left on Wednesday, taking a train to Chennai and from there, she had reached Ahmedabad early on Thursday to take the flight to London’s Gatwick.

Her daughter was surprised to see a crowd in front of her house as she came back from school.

Seeing her grandmother wailing and her brother in tears, she also started crying without knowing the reason.

Kerala BJP President and former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar paid tribute to Ranjitha on X (formerly Twitter), writing:

“Tributes to Ranjitha R. Nair from Kozhencherry, who lost her life in the Ahmedabad plane crash.”

The tragedy has affected families across India. Mahendra Vasandiya, a resident of Surat, told ANI that his younger brother and sister-in-law were also onboard, en route to meet their daughter in London.

“My younger brother and his wife were on the flight… We still have no information about them,” he said.

Authorities in Rajasthan also reported that four passengers from Udaipur district were on the ill-fated flight. Udaipur District Magistrate Namit Mehta said that Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma has personally spoken to the families of the missing and assured them of full support.

“The administration stands with the families. They have been contacted, and all necessary assistance will be provided,” Mehta said.

Meanwhile, emergency response efforts continue at the crash site. Around 150 personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), including teams from the 100 Battalion of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and the CRPF Group Centre in Gandhinagar, have been deployed to aid rescue operations.

The Gujarat government has also mobilized three teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), consisting of 90 personnel, to assist on the ground.