Cabin crew member’s remains reach Imphal 10 days after Air India crash
Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma was among the 12 cabin crew members on board AI Flight 171 when it crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12
Imphal: The mortal remains of 22-year-old cabin crew member Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma from Manipur, who was killed in the Air India flight crash in Ahmedabad, arrived at Bir Tikendrajit International Airport in Imphal on Sunday afternoon.
Nganthoi’s family members flew with her remains on an IndiGo flight from Delhi. Officials from the civil aviation department and aerodrome staff received the body at Imphal airport around 1 pm.
Nganthoi was among the 12 cabin crew members on board AI Flight 171 when it crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. The London-bound flight was carrying 242 passengers when it crashed moments after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Only one passenger from the flight survived.
Another Manipur resident, 28-year-old Lamnunthem Singson, a Kuki cabin crew member, was also among the deceased. Her mortal remains reached her hometown in Kangpokpi district on late Thursday night.
A solemn floral tribute ceremony was held inside the airport premises, where civil aviation staff, family, friends, and leaders, including chief secretary PK Singh, director general of police Rajiv Singh, Lok Sabha MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, and Thoubal MLA Surjakumar Okram paid their respects.
Nganthoi, a native of Thoubal Makha Leikai in Thoubal district, had been serving as a flight attendant with Air India for over five years. Her body was identified earlier in the week through forensic methods and was flown to Imphal on Sunday.
A procession carrying her remains moved from the airport towards her hometown, as people lined the roads to offer floral tributes and bid farewell to the young woman, remembered for her warmth and dedication to service.
Tributes have poured in from community leaders, student unions, and women’s organisations who remembered her as a “daughter of the soil” and a “symbol of courage and aspiration”.
The final rites were conducted according to Meitei rituals with community participation.
Expressing condolences, MP Akoijam Bimol said, “The tragic loss of Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi has deeply saddened all of Manipur. Her dedication and service will be remembered. We stand with her family during this time of immense grief.”
