Remembering Mangaluru air crash victims

Mangaluru: Tributes were paid to the victims of the 2010 Mangaluru air crash on the eighth anniversary of the May 22, 2010 Mangaluru air crash that took away over 150 lives. Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil S. led a short memorial service at the memorial and park built for them near New Mangalore Port in Panambur on Tuesday.

A one-minute silence was observed before Mr. Senthil laid a wreath at the memorial at the park.

The memorial abuts the park on the banks of the Phalguni and is designed in the shape of the tailplane. The park also houses the remains of 12 victims who remained unidentified. Solemnity marked the memorial with no speeches. M.L. Vyshali, Additional Deputy Commissioner made a brief remark.

Other dignitaries laid wreaths and showered flower petals on the memorial. Members of uniformed services saluted the memorial.

158 people died when flight IX 812 from Dubai crashed while landing at Mangaluru International Airport on May 22, 2010. Eight passengers survived the tragedy. While 136 bodies were identified and handed over to their next of kin, the remaining 22 bodies that could not be identified were subjected to DNA examination.

12 bodies that could not be matched to any living kin were interned on May 27, 2010 on land that belonged to New Mangalore Port Trust on the Tannirbhavi Road, just off old Kulur Bridge.

The new memorial was constructed at a cost of 12.13-lakh rupees by the New Mangalore Port in association with Airports Authority of India.