Guwahati: "Back to Home" was Sharafu Pilassery's last Facebook post before he died at the Baby Memorial Hospital following the Air India Express plane accident near Kozhikode on Friday (August 8).
The 35-year-old was traveling with his wife Ameena Sherin and daughter Isa Fathima from Dubai. Amid the ongoing pandemic, the small family had put on their protective gear - face shields, masks, and white bodysuits - while boarding the Air India Express flight. He posted the picture along with the caption "back to home."
Little did this small family know that fate had other plans for them.
According to reports, Pilassery was a native of Kunnamangalam in Kerala and had been staying in Dubai with his wife and daughter. He had finally managed to procure the tickets for the 'Vande Bharat' repatriation flights between Dubai and India. The family had boarded the flight hoping that they would be safely back home soon. Pilassery was heading home due to a medical emergency.
Although his wife Ameena is reportedly stable Fathima, his daughter is currently fighting for her life at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.
Pilassery is among the 18 passengers killed in the horrific crash. The Air India Express IX 1344 flight had reportedly landed at the Karipur airport amidst bad weather and plunged 30 feet off the tabletop runway.
Both the pilot, Captain Deepak Vasant Sathe, as well as First Officer, Akhilesh Kumar, died in the crash which split the plane into two.
It may be mentioned here that as many as 172 people have been hospitalized after the accident. According to reports, 16 of them are in critical condition.
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri said the accident appears to have been caused by a slippery runway as the pilot attempted to land on the tabletop runway amid heavy rains.