Kerala nurse among Air India plane AI171 crash victims: 38-year-old leaves behind two kids and elderly mother

A 38-year-old nurse from Kerala, Ranjitha Gopakimar, was among the victims of the Air India flight that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday. Her family confirmed the news. She was from Thiruvalla in Pathanamthitta district and had been working in the UK.

The flight, headed to London, crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. It hit a doctors’ hostel building, leading to a huge tragedy and many deaths.

Kerala BJP leader and former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar shared his condolences on X, saying, “Tributes to Ranjitha R. Nair from Kozhencherry, who lost her life in the Ahmedabad plane crash.”



Ranjitha’s relatives confirmed she had died in the crash. She leaves behind her mother and two children, who live in Thiruvalla.

In Surat, Mahendra Vasandiya said his younger brother and sister-in-law were also on the flight. They were flying to London to visit their daughter.

From Rajasthan, Udaipur District Magistrate Namit Mehta confirmed that four people from Udaipur were also on board the flight. Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma spoke with the affected families and assured them of full support. “We are in touch with the families and will help them in every way possible,” said Mehta.

The flight, operating as AI171, took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:39 pm with 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board.

Air India confirmed the nationalities of those onboard:
169 Indian nationals
53 British nationals
7 Portuguese nationals
1 Canadian national

Former Gujarat Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Vijay Rupani was also among those who died in the crash.

Emergency response teams, including fire services, ambulances, and disaster relief units, reached the site quickly and began rescue operations.

Inputs from ANI