One of the victims in the Ahmedabad plane crash, Ranjitha Gopakumaran, was a native of Pathanamthitta district in Kerala who worked as a nurse in the United Kingdom.
Pathanamthitta district collector Prem Krishnan S said Ranjitha was on the ill-fated flight, and that her death had been confirmed after verifying all details.
Ranjitha, 42, worked as a nurse in the United Kingdom and hailed from Pullad village in the district. She is survived by her husband, Vineesh, two school-going children, Rithika and Induchoodan, and her mother, Thulasi.
According to panchayat member Johnson Thomas, “Ranjitha came home from the UK three days ago. She got the job of a nurse in the state health service, but had come home on a short leave to oversee the construction of her new house.”
Since she moved to the UK around a year ago, she had been wanting to complete her job contract there. “She planned to return to Kerala and work with the state health service,” said the member.
Before moving to the UK, Ranjitha worked as a nurse in Oman for eight years. Her husband, too, had been in Oman, but later returned to Kerala, while Renjitha flew to the UK.
On Wednesday, Ranjitha left home by a train to Kochi, from where she flew to Ahmedabad to catch the flight to London.
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The Air India aircraft with 242 people on board crashed into a residential area near the Ahmedabad airport minutes after take-off on Thursday afternoon.
Shaju Philip is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, where he leads the publication's coverage from Kerala. With over 25 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political, religious, and developmental landscape of South India.
Expertise, Experience, and Authority
Decades of Regional Specialization: Shaju has spent more than two decades documenting the "Kerala Model" of development, its complex communal dynamics, and its high-stakes political environment.
Key Coverage Beats: His extensive reporting portfolio includes:
Political & Governance Analysis: In-depth tracking of the LDF and UDF coalitions, the growth of the BJP in the state, and the intricate workings of the Kerala administration.
Crime & Investigative Journalism: Noted for his coverage of high-profile cases such as the gold smuggling probe, political killings, and the state’s counter-terrorism efforts regarding radicalization modules.
Crisis Management: He has led ground-level reporting during major regional crises, including the devastating 2018 floods, the Nipah virus outbreaks, and the Covid-19 pandemic response. ... Read More
