4-year-old Kerala boy, returning after Umrah, dies on board flight

coastaldigest.com news network

November 15, 2018

Abu Dhabi, Nov 15: A four-year-old boy from south Indian state of Kerala has died on board an Omar Air flight after he developed epileptic seizures. The flight, flying from Jeddah to Kozhikode in Kerala, had to make an emergency landing in Abu Dhabi on Monday afternoon, after the unexpected death.

It is learnt that the young boy, identified as Yahya Puthiyapurayil, was on his way back home from Saudi Arabia after performing Umrah with family. 45 minutes after the flight’s take-off, the child developed epileptic seizures and breathed his last soon after.

Mohammed Nadeer, the boy's uncle, who lives in Abu Dhabi, said, "He was running a mild fever while boarding the flight from Jeddah, and developed epileptic seizures in mid-air. He died on his mother's lap. The family is inconsolable.”

Yahya was the youngest of the three children of Muhammad Ali and Jubairiah. Nadeer told the daily that Yahya was a specially-abled child who was wheelchair-bound as he could not walk or talk and had been undergoing treatment since his birth. The child was a part of the 13-member family pilgrimage group which included his parents, uncles and cousins.

Meanwhile, an Indian Embassy official said that they were informed about the incident by Monday afternoon. The official said that local authorities helped in expediting the procedures to repatriate his body to India. The boy's mortal remains were flown to Kerala on an early morning flight on Tuesday.

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Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilaihi Rajihoon

May almighty place him in Jannathul Firdouse.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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