A young computer engineer from Neriamangalam in Ernakulam district was one of the 153 people who lost their lives when a Dana Air passenger jet crashed in Lagos, Nigeria, on Sunday night.
Rijo K. Eldhose, 25, son of Kochukudi Eldhose and Elizabeth of Avolichalil at Kavalangad panchayat near Neriamangalam, was returning to Lagos after attending a company meeting at Abuja, Nigeria's capital, when the aircraft crashed. He was a customer service engineer for Hewlett and Packard (HP) in Lagos.
The Boeing MD-83, one of the fleet of five owned by Dana Air, crashed moments before its scheduled landing at Lagos' Murtala Muhammed International Airport around 9 p.m. (Indian time).
Rijo had been working in Nigeria for nearly four years. He was scheduled to visit his hometown on vacation later next month.
He last visited his home in November last.
Rijo's body had not been identified until late in the afternoon on Monday. Roji's friend Basil Adimali, who works in Nigeria, was the first to inform his parents of the death. Rijo is survived by parents and sister Rincy.
The cause of the jet crash is still unclear, but the pilot had radioed the Lagos airport that the jet's engine had hit a snag. All the 147 passengers and six crewmembers lost their lives.
