District Admin Holds Memorial Service for Victims of IX-812 air crash
Mangaluru: The day, 22 May 2010, was a black day as Air India Express flight IX812 arriving from Dubai to Mangalore International Airport at Kenjar, crashed while attempting to land and killed 158 people on board. Since then, a very few now remember that ill-fated day.
On May 22, 2017, the district administration paid tribute to those 158 souls at the memorial park at Kuloor. A one minute silence was observed for the departed souls.
District Minister in-charge Ramanath Rai, MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, Deputy Commissioner Dr Jagadeesha, capt Ganesh Karnik and Air India officials along with relatives and friends of the victims paid floral tributes at the memorial park.
Addressing the gathering, Ramanath Rai said that 7 years ago, 158 people were killed in the air crash and many families lost their loved ones. Today, we are remembering all the 158 souls by paying our tributes to them. May 22, is a unforgettable day in the history of Dakshina Kannada because of the 158 lives lost in the tragic air crash. All the passengers were very much enthusiastic to meet their loved once. Their faces were disfigured and the family members had difficulty in identifying their loved ones. We pray for all the departed souls and may God give strength to their family members.
Speaking to mangalorean.com Helen Rita Menezes (wife of Melwyn Kiran Menezes) one of the victim in the plane crash said, “I came to India for a week for my mom and dad’s 50th anniversary. I was supposed to fly back on Friday but all of a sudden my son got sick and my husband wanted to come to Mangaluru but he did not get the ticket to fly on Thursday and Friday. Finally, he got the ticket on an ill-fated day, Saturday when the plane crashed killing 158 passengers including my husband. My husband was from Permude. When the incident happened I did not go to the spot. I identified the body by recognizing his gold chain and diamond ring. Every year I offer mass to the soul of my husband in the Permude church. I visit his grave every year. I have two children Cleon and Meghna.”
She further said, “At present, I stay in Derebail. After the tragedy, I had been to the gulf to complete the formalities since my husband was working for Dragon Engineering Company in Dubai. After the incident, now I feel I have become strong, the society made me bold and move on with my life. Both my children are aware that their father died in the Plane crash which they do not want to recall.”
ADC Kumar welcomed the gathering and delivered the vote of thanks. Director of Mangaluru International Airport(MIA) V V Rao, MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, Mayor Kavitha Sanil, MUDA Chairman Suresh Ballal, ZP CEO Dr M R Ravi, MCC Commissioner Mohammed Nazir, Capt Ganesh Karnik, DCP Crime and Traffic Dr Sanjeev Patil and others were also present.
What a comforting feeling to realize that the authorities are thoughtful enough to gather together at the site of the air tragedy that took place seven years ago so that the victim’s families are assured that we remember the sad incident and that we are here to console one another.
These kind of gestures are extremely noteworthy, and these kind of gatherings render consolation that the entire community joins the victim’s families sad moments.
Keep up the good work, Mangalore, and may you all enjoy continued safety in all that you pursue in your daily life of mobility in Mangalore.
It was interesting to read a part of the article which appeared on 10 Jun 2010 and appreciate the courage of people of Mangalore who withstood a tragedy of a mass scale & remember all the people who were part of the rescue effort
“Does it take a tragedy to unite a town? It appeared so, in the aftermath of the Air India Express plane crash that took the lives of 158 people on May 22—when an army of locals trooped in to clear the debris and pull out the bodies at Bajpe; when benevolent taxi-drivers readily ferried people from one mortuary to another; when relatives drew courage from total strangers to pull aside the shroud on their dead; when they broke down on the shoulders of volunteers, not knowing how to begin identifying the charred bodies. Even when relatives from two different communities lay claim to a single body, Mangalore seemed to be putting behind its recent history of communal frenzy. The October 2006 riots, the September 2008 church attacks, the January 2009 pub attack and many other incidents in between and after seemed a distant memory.”