JAUNPUR: Pinki Mali, a flight attendant from Bhainsa village in Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh, was among those killed on Wednesday in a plane crash that also claimed the life of NCP leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and three others, officials and family sources said.
Pinki had been living with her family in Mumbai and was on board the chartered aircraft that crashed, they added.
The news of her death brought deep mourning to her native village, with residents gathering to console her grieving family.
According to villagers, Pinki's father Shivkumar Mali, an NCP leader, had moved to Mumbai several years ago with his family. Pinki completed her education in Thane and was married about a year ago in Gorakhpur.
Bhainsa village head Raju Pal mentioned that Pinki maintained strong ties with Bhainsa village, visiting every year during Durga Puja. She actively participated in the festivities and helped arrange the festival pandal.
Despite the family's current residence in Mumbai, their ancestral connection to Bhainsa village remained strong, with frequent visits, as locals noted.
As news of the crash spread, a pall of gloom enveloped Bhainsa village and the surrounding area. Family members were inconsolable, while villagers remembered Pinki as a hardworking, warm, and promising young woman.
Ajit Pawar, Pinki and three others -- Captain Sumit Kapoor, who had 15,000 hours of flying experience; co-pilot Captain Shambhavi Pathak, with 1,500 hours of flying; and Personal Security Officer Vidip Jadhav -- were killed in the plane crash in Pune.
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