Air India plane crash: Cabin crew member spoke to mother last, no contact since then

Mumbai, Jun 12 (PTI) Deepak Pathak, a cabin crew member on board the London-bound Air India flight that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon had last spoken to his mother, saying "good morning", his sister said.

They have not heard about his condition since the news of the crash came, she said.

There was no official count of, or information about, those killed even hours after the Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed in the city civil hospital and BJ Medical College outside the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport of Ahmedabad.

Pathak, a resident of Badlapur in Thane district near Mumbai, was working as a cabin crew member with Air India for 11 years, his sister told media persons.

The news of the crash sent shockwaves in the area and soon family members and friends gathered at Rawal Complex on Ambernath-Badlapur Road where Pathak lives.

There has been no official information about his condition or whereabouts, his sister said.

"He called our mother in the morning and said `good morning'. Though we were not able to speak often due to our busy schedules, my mother and I regularly talk about him, like where is he, has he returned home," she said.

Deepak is one of the five siblings and had got married four years ago, she said.

"We are all waiting for confirmation from the authorities. Till then, we won't believe any report about him," she added.

An atmosphere of shock and grief prevailed outside the residence of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a pilot of the crashed flight, in Jal Wayu Vihar area of Powai in Mumbai.

Local MLA Dilip Lande called on Sabharwal's parents. Sabharwal's father is 88 years old, local sources said. PTI DC KRK