'Found our closure now': Mother of Indian pilot killed in Indonesian crash

The mother of Indian pilot Bhavye Suneja who captained the ill-fated Indonesian plane that crashed into the sea on October 29 said they have found "closure" after his body was identified by the Indonesian authorities.

The Lion Air flight, with 188 passengers and crew on board, crashed into the sea off Indonesia's island of Java, minutes after taking off from Jakarta Soekarno Hatta International Airport.

Sangeeta Suneja, who is an Air India employee, said her son's colleagues only had good things to speak about him and his skills.

"We have found our closure now. Earlier, we were praying and hoping for a miracle when his body was not found. But now, at least we know what happened to him. Sixty-nine people are still missing," she said.

Sangeeta Suneja said time is a healer and the family will try and come to terms with Bhavye's loss once they return to India.

"The investigative authorities will inform us about the findings of the preliminary report on the crash on November 27. The (Indian) Ambassador came for the cremation yesterday (Saturday) and his colleagues also came and met us.

"They all spoke about him and even the Parliament here was told that he fought till the end," she told PTI over phone from Jakarta.

"The authorities of all the Third-world countries need to assess the airplane parts they are buying from abroad. Just because the parts have been bought from Uncle Sam (US), they accept that they are meeting all the quality controls. I want every country to ensure that there are quality controls," she said.

She said her purpose in life now is to ensure that her son's sacrifice does not go waste.

Captain Suneja, 31, was from Delhi. After completing his studies at Ahlcon Public School in Mayur Vihar, Suneja received his flying licence in 2009. He married in 2016 and was based in Jakarta.

(With inputs from agencies.)