Air India: Nurse Who Set Housewarming Date Dies in Crash Before Opening New House She Built

• A nurse who had set a housewarming date for her new house died in the fatal Air India crash while travelling to London
• The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, en route to London, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, India, on June 12, 2025
• The family and colleagues of the nurse mourned her, sharing what made her use that particular flight

A nurse, Renjitha Gopakumaran Nair, was getting ready for her housewarming when the tragic Air India crash cut her dream short.

The aircraft crashed near the airport in Ahmedabad, a western city in India, on June 12, 2025.

The plane was headed for London’s Gatwick Airport in the United Kingdom with 242 people on board.

As reported by the BBC, Renjitha had just resigned her job as a nurse at Portsmouth's Queen Alexandra Hospital.

She had planned to return to India and was finalising a permanent move back home to India, her family said.

Nurse dies amid housewarming, relocation plans

Renjitha had travelled to India to submit documents for a nursing post in Kerala, as part of her relocation plans back to her country.

In a Facebook post, the Union of UK Malayalee Associations mourned her demise in the deadly flight.

It read:

“UUKMA mourns the loss of precious lives in the Air India Flight AI171 tragedy. With profound sorrow, the Union of UK Malayalee Associations (UUKMA) extends our heartfelt condolences to all the families affected by the tragic accident involving Air India Flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick.

“Among those we lost was Ms. Renjitha Gopakumaran Nair, our community member from Pulladu, Thiruvalla, Kerala and a cherished resident of Portsmouth, UK. Her passing is a devastating loss to her family, friends, and the entire community.

“We stand in grief and solidarity with all the bereaved families during this incredibly difficult time. May the souls of the departed rest in eternal peace, and may their loved ones find the strength and support they need. Let us come together in prayer, compassion, and remembrance.”

One of the organisation's leaders, Edy Sebastian, shared what made Renjitha use the Ahmedabad route.

He said:

“On 11 June, she travelled via Chennai to Ahmedabad, intending to collect her final release certificate from the UK. Since there were no immediate flights from Kochi or Thiruvananthapuram to Gatwick, she took the first available option to Ahmedabad.

"Though the construction of the house wasn't fully complete, she decided to move in. She had even set the date to mark the occasion of her housewarming."

It was gathered that the nurse was survived by an elderly mother and two children, aged 12 and 15.

Families submit DNA samples to identify victims

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that some families broke down in uncontrollable tears as they were asked to submit DNA samples to help identify their loved ones who died in the tragic Air India crash.

One of the family members who dropped a DNA sample shared when the results would be ready for them to identify their brother.

According to the hospital, over 190 relatives have submitted their DNA samples, which were being verified so that they could be used to identify bodies at the crash site.

Source: Legit.ng