One-year-old Azam Muhammad, who died in the Air India Express crash at the Calicut International Airport on Friday night did not get a chance to set foot on his homeland.
The father of the infant, Mohammad Nijaz Chembai from Vellimadukunnu in Kozhikode was devastated after hearing the news. Azam Muhammad was born in Dubai and Friday’s maiden journey to Kerala to see his maternal grandfather Mohammed Master and other relatives turned out to be his last.
Nijaz’s wife Sahira Banu (29) was seriously injured and his two other children also suffered minor injuries in the accident. After the mishap on Friday early night, Sahira was admitted to a private hospital in Kondotty. She breathed her last there. Azam’s siblings; 8-year old Iahan Muhammad and 4-year old Mariyam Ninth Muhammad sustained injuries and are recuperating in two different hospitals in the district.
“Nijaz and family are in Dubai for the past 10 years. Banu and three kids boarded the flight from Dubai on Friday and Nijaz preferred to stay back. Only Banu’s mother Sakeena had seen the infant as she was in Dubai to assist during the delivery,” said Banu’s relative Karasserry native T Aziz to The New Indian Express.
“We were scrambling to find out where the kids are last night. Their presence was confirmed in two separate hospitals by 2 am. Both kids are out of danger,” Aziz added.
The trip was originally scheduled for next month. It was advanced to Friday when a home was found for the self-quarantine.
Reportedly, Niyaz got a ticket on a flight to Kannur on Saturday.
The Air India Express plane crash in Kozhikode, which claimed 18 lives and left at least a hundred injured, indicate poor weather conditions and a possible late touchdown as possible factors that led to the mishap. Early inputs from the airport and air traffic control officials indicate the aircraft touched down way beyond where it should have on the runway.
