'We are holding up in this difficult time and hope to bring her home on Thursday morning.'
Lamunthem Singson was a huge fan of Manchester United. She had planned to make a trip to Old Trafford, home of the world famous football club during her two day stop-over in London.
The 26-year-old cabin crew had discussed it with a friend in London and looked forward to fulfilling her fan girl dream when she boarded AI-171 flight on June 12.
She would have bought tickets for the stadium tour, made notes of the memorabilia from the museum store and thought of the selfies she would click -- but the Man-U plan sadly perished with her in the tragic crash.
Six days after the numbing tragedy, Ms Singson's remains were identified by a DNA match at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on Wednesday. Her brother and cousin had flown to Ahmedabad after the crash. The DNA was matched with her brother's blood sample.
190 DNA samples had matched and 159 bodies handed over to the next of kin by Wednesday by the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital.
Lamunthem Singson, 26, was the sole earning member of her family. She lost her father in 2022, a year before her selection as cabin crew for Air India's international routes.
She had a first class Master's degree and had spoken to her mother the night before the flight that crashed less than a minute after takeoff.
"Her mother is broken with grief and could hardly speak," says journalist Kaybie Chonglam who met the grieving widow who has faced the difficult loss of husband and daughter in a span of three years.
The pain further compounded with the agonising wait for the body to finally arrive home in Kangpokpi, Manipur.
"We are holding up in this difficult time and hope to bring her home on Thursday morning. We are having a small prayer meeting in her memory in Ahmedabad," says her cousin Mr Kipgen who was at the hospital in Ahmedabad and the contact person between the authorities and the family.
Ms Singson is survived by her widowed mother and two brothers.
Her older brother is ailing and undergoing treatment for cancer informs the pastor of the church near the home.
The local community has come forward to support the family and church youth organised night long vigils outside the late cabin crew's rented home.
Lamunthem Singson's family belongs to the Kuki community. They were forced to flee Imphal after violence between Meiteis and Kukis broke out in May 2023.
The conflict has resulted in almost a complete physical and social divide between the two communities.
Kukis reside in the hill areas while Meiteis dominate the Imphal Valley. A buffer zone separates the two communities.
Manipur has been under President's rule since February 2025. 250 people have been killed and 60,000 displaced in the ethnic violence.
Two cabin crew members on board AI 171 belonged to Manipur. The other deceased was Nganthoi Sharma Kongbrailatpam, a Meitei whose body has not been identified yet.
In view of the sharp schism between the two communities, the state authorities have stated that security will be ensured for the safe passage of Lamunthem's body from Imphal airport through Meitei dominated areas into Kangpokpi, a Kuki enclave.
Kukis prefer to travel through Dimapur airport in neighboring Nagaland and avoid transiting through Imphal in view of the conflict.
Meitei organisations have also appealed for all round cooperation for the dignified return of the remains of both cabin crew members.
"But her mother has refused the offer because she feels it will politicise her daughter's death," says Kaybie Changloi.
The body is expected to arrive in Dimapur, nearly 170 km away, and will be brought home by road. The drive will take another 5-6 hours.
Lamunthem Singson, loving daughter, sister and Man-U fan, will then be laid to final rest.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
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