As the nation mourns the loss of 242 lives in the Air India crash in Ahmedabad, one family’s heartbreak has struck a particularly emotional chord. The family of Nganthoi Sharma Kongbrailatpam, a crew member on the ill-fated Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was seen in agonising grief, desperately flipping through photo albums to find her picture, clinging to memories as news of the crash spread.
The London-bound AI 171 flight took off from Ahmedabad at 1:38 pm on June 12, but just minutes later, crashed into a medical hostel near the Meghani Nagar area. Eyewitnesses reported a loud explosion and a fireball rising into the sky as the aircraft, reportedly at 825 feet altitude, lost lift and plunged into the residential area.
Nganthoi’s relatives, in shock and despair, cried out for answers. “My child, where have you gone?” a woman was heard saying in a video widely circulated online. Another relative pleaded, “Please bring my phone, I need to see her photos. I am going crazy.”
The Dreamliner was carrying 169 Indians, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian national. Air India confirmed the crash on X, adding that updates would be shared once available. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the incident “heartbreaking beyond words” and said he is in touch with officials overseeing relief operations.
Authorities have recovered the aircraft’s black box, which will be key to understanding what caused the plane—one of Boeing’s most advanced—to crash. Emergency helplines have been set up by the Gujarat government and Ahmedabad Civil Hospital for those seeking information.