M'luru air crash still haunts victims' families and survivors
Mangaluru: For Patricia D'Souza, the pain of losing her husband, Ignatius D'Souza, in the tragic Mangaluru air crash is compounded by one heartbreaking regret: His cherished dream of spending more quality family time with their two children was cruelly cut short. Ignatius was travelling on the ill-fated Air India Express flight IX-812 on May 22, 2010."My younger son, Chris Gary D'Souza had made an emotional request while speaking on the phone, saying, ‘Dad, you don't have time for us, take us anywhere on a tour.' Ignatius was scheduled to fly from Abu Dhabi on June 1, after his April plan failed, but after my son's remark, he made his journey earlier, so he could take our children on a tour,'' she said.A chef by profession, Ignatius's work kept him away from his family for long periods, and he came home to meet his children once a year or once in two years.
Their children, daughter Precita, now an engineer, and son Chris, who completed pharmacy studies, saw very little of their father. "We were away in Dubai working, while our relatives took care of them back home," Patricia says. "This is the biggest regret I still have about losing him, besides the fact that he was the pillar of our family," she said.For BH Aboobakker, a resident of Malpe, he lost his second son Navid Ibrahim, who went to find greener pastures in Dubai.
"He resigned from his job as he found it difficult, even before his contract ended. He took a flight home with the hope of going back for a better job," says Aboobakker.Whereas, Joel Prathap D'Souza,39, a resident of Vamanjoor, one of the survivors, among seven others, experiences nightmares of the incident occasionally. He was the first person to jump out of the ill-fated flight to save himself. He was happily returning home after receiving his first job appointment letter in Dubai.
He was in seat number 23. "Whenever I get back or leg pain, it reminds of the incident, besides occasional nightmares or panic attacks.
I manage pain with spray and knee braces, but haven't completely come out the psychological consequences that I face following the flashbacks and triggers about the incident. It will always be a part of my everyday life," he said.Joel, who still works in Dubai as a supervisor, has difficulty in air travel as he gets flashbacks every flight, especially when the plane is about to land.
