For some families, their gods died young

Twenty-three children bid farewell to their future when Air India Express IX 812 crashed in the deep valley near Bajpe International Airport on Saturday morning. As many as 19 children and four infants travelled from Dubai to Mangalore on the fateful flight with their relatives. Except for one, who breathed her last in the ambulance on the way to hospital, all died on the spot.

Siblings Hiba Azeena (4), Mushina Banu (5) and Haifa Hasha (2) of Beltahngady, were accompanied by their mother Mumtaz Hasanabba Abbubakkar. Mumtaz’s husband Hasan is working in Dubai. She had been to Dubai to visit her husband along with the children and was returning to the native.

Two year olds Ayesha Afseen and Ashaj Abdulla of Ullal were with their parents Mohammed Ashraf and Maimuna, and their uncle Ahammed Naushad. They were coming to attend Naushad’s wedding which was scheduled for July 13.

A family from Bhatkal has lost five members of its next generation in the fateful incident. Suhaib Mohammed Nazeer (9), Bibi Sara (11) and Nabeeha Mohammed Nasir (6), along with their father Mohammed Naseer Damudi were in the flight. Also were their relatives Abdulbarr Damudi (11), Mohammed Aban Ruknuddin (3) and his mother Naziya Afreen.

Zainab (6) and Mohammed Zubair (9) were united with their parents Mohammed Zaid and Sameena Abdul Karim in death. Incidentally, the kids’ grandmother had passed away on Friday.

Zeshan Abdul Rehman, Rashad Shafqat Mahmood (2), Vishal Lobo (8), Godwin Thomas, Gloria Thomas, Ashton Saldanha, Naland Sathish Rai, Viha Sathish Rai, Affan Ahmed, Rida Ibrahim (10) and Rahul Jairam (3) too are now mourned by their respective families.

Charred bodies of these kids wet the eyes of the onlookers at all hospitals.  Perhaps they could have written history. But they are just part of history.