It was then he came to know about the rumour that said he had died in the Mangalore air crash. While people in his constituency were happy about him being alive, the air crash brought bad news for Harris's family. Harris' co brother Ibrahim Khaleel (50) was in the aircraft.
A businessman from Kasargod, Khaleel had gone to Dubai on an official purpose. Khaleel has three children - two sons and a daughter. While the eldest son is doing his graduation, the daughter is in Class 9 and the youngest son is in Class 4.
Apart from Khaleel, Haris also knew 10-12 passengers, who were distant relatives and close family friends. “Most of them had come on holiday and came on Saturday because they had weddings and family functions to attend on Sunday,” he said.
Published 23 May 2010, 17:05 IST