A year after...
On the morning of May 22, 2010, Air India Express Flight 812 overshot the tabletop runway at Mangalore, killing 158 passengers and crew on board. In the lead up to the first anniversary of one of India’s worst air accidents, Bangalore Mirror brings you a series of articles to commemorate those who died, on the continuing tragedy of many of the victims’ families and, not least, on the lessons learnt by the nation’s aviation sector
‘I had no problem’
Mohamed Usman is the only survivor to have bounced back. Though his physical recovery was immediate, he needed about six months of counseling to become totally fit. He had spent about 29 years in Dubai working in a private company and running a business. His employer terminated his services in December 2010, but Usman had his business to fall back upon. He also runs another business in Karkala near Mangalore. “I have had no problem with the compensation too. Though I received only Rs 2 lakh as interim compensation, Air India has promised to give whatever I have asked for in the next couple of days,” he said. He said that the survivors have planned a joint visit to the Air India office and the crash site on May 22.
Eight passengers survived when the Air India flight from Dubai carrying 166 people on board crashed on landing in Mangalore on May 22 last year. But, even if they came out alive, in the case of most, their careers have floundered. Some are killing time sitting at home.
On the morning of May 22, 2010, Air India Express Flight 812 overshot the tabletop runway at Mangalore, killing 158 passengers and crew on board. In the lead up to the first anniversary of one of India’s worst air accidents, Bangalore Mirror brings you a series of articles to commemorate those who died, on the continuing tragedy of many of the victims’ families and, not least, on the lessons learnt by the nation’s aviation sector
‘I had no problem’
Mohamed Usman is the only survivor to have bounced back. Though his physical recovery was immediate, he needed about six months of counseling to become totally fit. He had spent about 29 years in Dubai working in a private company and running a business. His employer terminated his services in December 2010, but Usman had his business to fall back upon. He also runs another business in Karkala near Mangalore. “I have had no problem with the compensation too. Though I received only Rs 2 lakh as interim compensation, Air India has promised to give whatever I have asked for in the next couple of days,” he said. He said that the survivors have planned a joint visit to the Air India office and the crash site on May 22.
Eight passengers survived when the Air India flight from Dubai carrying 166 people on board crashed on landing in Mangalore on May 22 last year. But, even if they came out alive, in the case of most, their careers have floundered. Some are killing time sitting at home.
Among them is 27-year-old Ummer Farooq Ullal who was travelling to Mangalore for a change of visa. “I feel totally disturbed when I think of the crash. I had to undergo plastic surgery. Since then, I don't even look the way I used to. I have lost my personality. I am yet to recover completely,” he told Bangalore Mirror. “But, I am happy that I had the presence of mind to save a co-passenger, Sabrina.” On May 22, Farooq plans to invite families of crash victims to his house. He will hold a special prayer in a mosque and then in his house in memory of all the victims.
Joel Prathap D'Souza, 25, who lives with his parents at Vamanjoor, is a dejected man. “I suffered a slipped disc in the crash. I can no longer do any kind of hard work. I lost my job. My current physical condition limits my opportunities in the job market. I am depressed because I have neither received any other job nor compensation.
“Air India has not had the courtesy to call and inquire about my health. I sometimes wish that I had died in the crash rather than live in this condition.”
“Air India has not had the courtesy to call and inquire about my health. I sometimes wish that I had died in the crash rather than live in this condition.”
Krishnan Kooli Kunnu, 48, of Uduma Mangad, Kasargod in Kerala, used to work in a private company in Dubai, but is now sitting at home without a job. “I am again trying to get a job in Dubai,” he said.
Mayan Kutty K P, 48, of Kannur in Kerala had worked in Saudi Arabia for 15 years and in Dubai for six years. He returned to Dubai six months after the crash. “I worked for three months, but realised that, mentally, I was not the way I used to be. I could not concentrate on work and decided to return. But, I am yet to cancel my visa as I hope to go back.”
Abdulla Puttur, 36, is desperately looking for a job. In January, he flew to Dubai on a visit visa, but returned when he could not get a job. “About two weeks ago, officials from Air India called and promised to get me a job,” he said. But, he is nevertheless planning another trip to Dubai in search of a job.
Pradeep G Kotian, who still experiences pain in his right wrist, said, “At the time of the crash, Air India had assured jobs to survivors, but so far we have received nothing. My visa has expired and I lost my job as a technician (maintenance) in a private company in Dubai.” He has joined his friend's hardware business.
Bangalore Mirror could not get in touch with Sabrina who was a student in Manipal at the time of the crash. She is believed to have shifted to the US.
`1,000 reward for being the first one to alert the copsMohammud Sameer, 34, a cloth merchant, has been given a Rs 1,000 cash reward for being the first to call the police control room at 6.02 am, moments after he heard a loud sound, which turned out to be Air India’s flight from Dubai crashing on landing in Mangalore on May 22 last year. “Within a month of the accident, the Mangalore police commissioner granted me a prize of Rs 1,000. However, I would be happier if they gave me a letter of appreciation. I had expressed my wish to the commissioner who promised to do so as soon as he was free. He is yet to get back to me,” Sameer said.
In a letter to the Mangalore police commissioner dated May 24, 2010, the then state police chief Ajai Kumar Singh stated that the quick response of the police started with a phone call from the villager and from the control room to the commissioner. The commissioner’s response to the villager’s alert and conversations with survivors expedited the response. The villager, the constable in the control room who alerted the commissioner and the survivors deserve rewards in recognition of their good work.
Bangalore Mirror could not get in touch with Sabrina who was a student in Manipal at the time of the crash. She is believed to have shifted to the US.
`1,000 reward for being the first one to alert the copsMohammud Sameer, 34, a cloth merchant, has been given a Rs 1,000 cash reward for being the first to call the police control room at 6.02 am, moments after he heard a loud sound, which turned out to be Air India’s flight from Dubai crashing on landing in Mangalore on May 22 last year. “Within a month of the accident, the Mangalore police commissioner granted me a prize of Rs 1,000. However, I would be happier if they gave me a letter of appreciation. I had expressed my wish to the commissioner who promised to do so as soon as he was free. He is yet to get back to me,” Sameer said.
In a letter to the Mangalore police commissioner dated May 24, 2010, the then state police chief Ajai Kumar Singh stated that the quick response of the police started with a phone call from the villager and from the control room to the commissioner. The commissioner’s response to the villager’s alert and conversations with survivors expedited the response. The villager, the constable in the control room who alerted the commissioner and the survivors deserve rewards in recognition of their good work.
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