Mortal remains of Malayali nurse Ranjitha, who died in plane crash, return to Kerala

Pathanamthitta: The mortal remains of Ranjitha G Nair (37) arrived in Kerala on Tuesday, 12 days after she boarded her ill-fated flight from Kochi. A native of Pullad in Pathanamthitta district, Ranjitha was one of the 271 people killed in the tragic crash of Air India Flight 171 shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12. Only one passenger survived the accident.

Her body reached Thiruvananthapuram airport at 7 am, accompanied by her brother and a close relative. Kerala ministers V Sivankutty and G R Anil were among those who paid their last respects at the airport. CPM politburo member M A Baby and senior Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan also offered tributes. Her remains were later taken to Sree Vivekananda High School in Pullad—her alma mater—for public viewing. The cremation is scheduled for 4.30 pm at her family residence. In view of the public homage, the district administration declared a holiday for the high school on Tuesday. Pullad Vadakkevila Model Government UP School was also given a holiday to facilitate traffic regulation in the area.

Ranjitha, a mother of two, was remembered as a devoted nurse who had spent several years working outside Kerala to support her family. She was employed in the UK and had returned to India on a five-day leave to complete official formalities with the health department. Excited about the new house being built for her family in Pullad, Ranjitha had planned to work abroad for a few more years before returning home to be with her children—Induchoodan and Ithika—who now live with their grandmother, Thulasi. She has two brothers, Ranjith and Ratheesh.