AI co-pilot Kunder laid to rest in Mumbai; relatives, friends attend last rites
Many people with moist eyes were seen holding the pilot's pictures in their hands as they bid final goodbye to him, a week after his death in the crash
Mumbai, Jun 19 (PTI) Hundreds of people, including inconsolable family members and friends, gave an emotional farewell to First Officer Clive Kunder, co-pilot of the Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad last week, whose last rites were conducted on Thursday in Mumbai.
The last rites of Kunder were held at Sewri Christian Cemetery in the afternoon, hours after the mortal remains were brought from Ahmedabad, an official said.
Many people with moist eyes were seen holding the pilot's pictures in their hands as they bid final goodbye to him, a week after his death in the crash.
Earlier in the morning, the casket carrying the remains of Kunder reached the Mumbai airport by a flight and was taken to his residence at Suntek City in Ram Mandir Road, Goregaon (West), by his family members.
Several friends and relatives of Kunder as well as local residents gathered at his residence to pay homage and later participated in his funeral.
Kunder lived with his elderly parents and a younger sister in Mumbai.
The mortal remains were kept at Kunder's home till 1 pm and later taken to the cemetery.
The London-bound Air India flight AI-171 carrying 242 passengers and crew members crashed on June 12. All but one on board the plane died along with 29 on the ground when the aircraft smashed into a medical hostel complex in the Gujarat city.
The ill-fated flight was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal along with First Officer Kunder. While Sabharwal had 8,200 hours of flying experience, Kunder 1,100 hours, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) earlier said in a statement.
The aircraft departed from the Ahmedabad airport at 1.39 pm. The chief pilot of the plane (Sabharwal) issued a 'Mayday' distress call, denoting a full emergency, soon after take-off, to the Air Traffic Control at Ahmedabad.
Moments later, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner smashed into the complex located outside the airport compound.
The last rites of Sabharwal, who also hailed from Mumbai, were performed on Tuesday. PTI