The six family members of Gujarati background were among those killed in the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday six minutes after taking off from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
The family was travelling from Addis Ababa to Nairobi to meet their friends in Mombasa in Kenya. The deceased family was from Surat and Vadodara in Gujarat state of India.
Prerit Dixit 43, his wife Kosha, 37, their daughters Ashka, 15, Anushka, 13 and Kosha's parents Hansini, 60 and Pannagesh Vaidya, 65 were among the 157 people who died when the Boeing 737 Max-8 jet crashed shortly after take-off from Addis Ababa.
Prerit's elder brother, Arpit Dixit who is living in Australia said to SBS Gujarati, "Prerit moved to Canada in 2001 on a Permanent Residency. He and his wife Kosha and two daughters were Canadian citizens, while Kosha's father, Pannagesh and Hansini were Indian citizens but they were living with their son Manant Vaidya in Canada's Toronto city."
Rescue workers at Bishoftu Ethiopia, Monday, March 11, 2019, where Ethiopia Airlines Flight crashed on Sunday. Source: AAP Image/AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene
Prerit's parents Parinda, 69 and Virendra Dixit, 72, live in India. They found out about the crash on Sunday evening after Kosha's uncle informed them.
"My parents are travelling to Canada this week and Kosha's brother Manant is visiting Ethiopia to see if he can collect any of their remains. I am also visiting Canada and will possibly stopover in Ethiopia depending on the feedback from Manant," said Arpit.
Kosha's parents, Hansini (L) and Pannagesh Vaidya (R). Source: Supplied
One of the family members told the Times of India, “Pannagesh's friend Prakash was winding up his business in Ethiopia and permanently coming to live in India. So, he invited Pannagesh to come and stay with them for few days”.
Arpit added, "Since Pannagesh and Hansini were planning to go to Ethiopia, Kosha and Prerit also joined them with their two daughters as they wanted to visit Kosha's birthplace in Mombasa and African Safari in Kenya."
Kosha's brother Manant Vaidya, who is in Canada, is in touch with Sushma Swaraj, the Indian External Minister, and she has asked the Indian embassy in Kenya and Ethiopia to reach them immediately and provide all the necessary support.
Manant Vaidya with his wife Hiral, left, His parents, sister, brother-in-law, and two young nieces died in the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Source: AAP Image/Tijana Martin/The Canadian Press via AP
I woke up with more than 100 missed calls, says Kosha's brother
Talking to CBC, Manant said, "He woke up to more than 100 missed calls on Sunday morning. When he was told about the tragic accident around 6.30 am on Sunday, he didn't believe it and went to Pearson airport to speak with officials and they confirmed the news.
"I dropped off the family to Pearson International Airport on Saturday morning. It's a huge tragedy, I lost my parents, I lost my sister. I don't have anyone else now," he added.
