Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Ahmedabad Plane Crash: She Had Just Turned 21, Begun To Fly And Then The Sky Fell

Lamnunthem Singson and Nganthoi Sharma Kongbrailatpam (Photo: X/@NBirenSingh)

Thoubal / Kangpokpi / Ahmedabad/New Delhi: Nganthoi Sharma Kongbrailatpam had just turned 21. Barely a year into her job as a cabin crew member, she had started to taste the freedom and joy she had dreamed of since childhood. Her voice, full of laughter, echoed through her family’s small home in Manipur’s Thoubal district. It had only been a few months since she joined Air India, and Thursday (June 12) morning was just another duty call. At least, it seemed that way.

By afternoon, her name was on the list of the crew members aboard Air India flight 171 – the one that crashed outside Ahmedabad’s airport, bursting into flames. The aircraft never left the city’s skies.

Her father, Kongrailatpam Nandesh Kumar Sharma, got the news from a mobile notification. "We have not heard anything from Air India. No confirmation. No clarity. We are still hoping she is alive. I still believe in fate. I still believe maybe… maybe she was pulled out. Maybe she survived,” he told ANI, his voice heavy, each sentence interrupted by silence.

Nganthoi’s cousin, Khenjita, tried everything. She called hospitals, checked with local authorities and waited for an official list of survivors. Nothing came. "We are devastated. But we still hope. Until we know for sure," she said late Thursday evening, holding on to one last thread.

The family had not slept. Calls were made. Messages sent. All unanswered.

At the other end of Manipur, in Kangpokpi district, another family sat in stunned silence. 28-year-old Lamnunthem Singson, another cabin crew member on board the same flight, had not been reachable since the crash. Her family, displaced by last year’s ethnic violence, had only recently found stability. Now, there is only silence again.

Former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh wrote on X, “It is heartbreaking to share that two young cabin crew members from Manipur, Kongrabailatpam Nganthoi Sharma and Lamnunthem Singson, were among those who lost their lives in today’s Air India crash in Ahmedabad. Both were full of life, serving with dedication and pride…”

It is heartbreaking to share that two young cabin crew members from Manipur, Kongrabailatpam Nganthoi Sharma and Lamnunthem Singson, were among those who lost their lives in today’s Air India crash in Ahmedabad.

Both were full of life, serving with dedication and pride. Their… pic.twitter.com/j6QIslighu — N. Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) June 12, 2025

That crash has taken more than lives. It has taken hopes, futures and promises yet to be fulfilled.

The aircraft, a Boeing 787-8, was carrying 242 passengers and 12 crew members when it crashed into a doctors' hostel near the airport shortly after takeoff. Only one person, by some miracle, survived. Officials say it was a technical failure, but an investigation is still underway.

The two young women from Manipur were more than crew members. They were symbols of hope. One came from a valley town. The other from conflict-hit hills. One was Meitei. The other, Kuki. In a state torn by division, they wore the same uniform, served the same flight and shared the same fate. Their families wait for closure, bodies and answers.

In that silence, only one thing rings clear – both women had dreams that reached for the sky. That sky gave no return.