Close X
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
ADVT 
International

How Haunting Image Of Indian Flight Attendant Became Face Of Brussels Horror

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 24 Mar, 2016 01:03 PM
    Smoke-blackened Nidhi Chaphekar was pictured dazed and covered in dust just seconds after the deadly attack.
     
    The hostess with Indian-based Jet Airways had been about to join the rest of her crew for a flight to Newark, US, when the suicide bombers detonated their blasts.
     
    The woman's family in India saw the photo after Tuesday's blasts. They identified her as Nidhi Chaphekar, a 40-year-old Jet Airways flight attendant and mother of two from Mumbai.
     
    "We were searching through the Internet to try and get details of the blasts when we saw the pics," her brother-in-law Nilesh Chaphekar told in a phone interview. "The first reaction was 'she's alive. By God's grace she is alive.'"
     
     
    Nidhi Chaphekar's yellow uniform was apparently shredded from the force of one of the blasts. Her hair was caked with soot, and blood streaked down her face. Another woman in the photo is frantically making a phone call with a bloodied hand.
     
    Chaphekar, who has worked for Mumbai-based Jet Airways for two decades, sat with one leg stretched across airport seating while the other dangled over the floor. A bloodied right foot was raised just enough so it wasn't hitting shards of broken glass scattered across the floor.
     
     
    But it was the look of shock and numbness on her face that captured the horror of the attacks, leading many around the world to share the photo on social media sites with the #PrayForNidhi hashtag.
     
    Her family, including her husband, 11-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son, is now trying to get to Brussels to be with her. But Brussels airport remains closed.
     
    "We've got visas now, but we are still not sure exactly what route we should take to reach her as soon as possible," Nilesh Chaphekar said. "We are trying to figure out the nearest airport we can fly into."
     
     
    He added that the "the last medical update we've had is that she's responding well to medication. We have been told there are some fractures and burns but we don't know the extent."
     
    Meanwhile many have taken to Twitter to condemn the use of the image, which they say violates her privacy and displays "insensitivity" in the wake of the tragedy. One twitter user said: "The photo of Nidhi Chaphekar in your newspaper is in bad taste. Please keep in mind the modesty of a woman before publishing."
     

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Donald Trump Declares Himself Unbeatable If Republicans Unite

    Speaking to MSNBC on Wednesday morning, Trump said: "If the Republican party unites behind us, nobody can beat us."

    Donald Trump Declares Himself Unbeatable If Republicans Unite

    Trudeau's Foreign Policy Adviser Writes Of 'Waning' U.S. Influence

    Trudeau's Foreign Policy Adviser Writes Of 'Waning' U.S. Influence
      The decline of the United States is a theme that has filled books and scholarly articles, fuelled punditry and even spawned billionaire Donald Trump's now-familiar mantra to "make America great again."  

    Trudeau's Foreign Policy Adviser Writes Of 'Waning' U.S. Influence

    French Trial Opens For 'Horror Dentist' Arrested In New Brunswick

    French Trial Opens For 'Horror Dentist' Arrested In New Brunswick
    Dentist Jacobus Van Nierop, who was arrested in New Brunswick in 2014 after fleeing France, could be sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined $413,000 if convicted. More than 50 victims are also seeking damages.

    French Trial Opens For 'Horror Dentist' Arrested In New Brunswick

    Mexican President: Donald Trump Language Like That Of Hitler

    Mexican President: Donald Trump Language Like That Of Hitler
    "That's the way Mussolini arrived and the way Hitler arrived," Pena Nieto said.

    Mexican President: Donald Trump Language Like That Of Hitler

    Trudeau Won't Pick Fight With Trump; Says US Should Talk Election Financing

    U.S. presidential candidates raise billions in financing and court special interests, something Trudeau says Canada does not allow.

    Trudeau Won't Pick Fight With Trump; Says US Should Talk Election Financing

    Boxer Cody Nixon Among 2 Canadians Killed After Ferrari Hits Pole In Dubai

    Boxer Cody Nixon Among 2 Canadians Killed After Ferrari Hits Pole In Dubai
    The National newspaper says two others also died in the crash, which happened early Sunday local time.

    Boxer Cody Nixon Among 2 Canadians Killed After Ferrari Hits Pole In Dubai