Friends mourn social worker; man who missed flight thanks his stars

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Sharafu Pilassery (35), working in Dubai in a private firm, had arranged flight tickets for many and fed people stranded without a job in the United Arab Emirates.

He told his relatives and friends back home that he and his family will be coming back to the country.

They never imagined that will be his last journey.

A social worker among the expatriate community in Dubai, he insisted that he will go back once the rush subsided, his friends recalled.

Four hours before the accident, he posted a photo with his family in protective shields and masks. “Back to Home,” he wrote on his Facebook.

Several passengers part of the flight from Dubai to Kozhikode had cited loss of jobs as the reason to travel back home, according to their repatriation flight list reviewed by HT. A large number of workers based in the Gulf have lost their jobs due to the pandemic.

Parammal Afsal, 27, who works at a hotel in Dubai, has a different story. When he arrived at the airport to board the Kozhikode-bound flight on Friday, he realised that his visa period had expired — by a few hours.

Airport authorities asked him to produce his employment details and other formalities.

He immediately rushed to procure them from his room, but by the time he was returned, the boarding process was over.

But that proved a blessing for Afsal. He was planning to return for his wedding, which was fixed last year.

Now, he is planning to take next flight to Kannur.

Dubai-based Indian expat Shemir Vadakkan Pathappiriyam is exhausted but overjoyed as all the seven members of his and his brother’s family survived the crash .

“The news came as a real shock and we couldn’t contact them for a long time,” Shemir told news agency PTI. “When I finally managed to speak to my wife, she told me that she and the other family members were rescued by the local people,” the 41-year-old said.