Source: Daily Mail
- Grandmother of air hostess Yara Hani Tawfik collapsed at service in Cairo
- Hundreds attended the memorial service with friends calling her ‘perfect’
- All 66 people onboard EgyptAir MS804 flight died over Mediterranean Sea
By Arthur Martin In Cairo For The Mailonline
The elderly grandmother of air hostess Yara Hani Tawfik who died on the doomed EgyptAir MS804 flight collapsed at her memorial service today.
Concerned friends and relatives rushed to Anna Yara’s aid as she sat wailing on a pew in a church in Cairo.
One held the grandmother face as she was overcome with grief in the St Mary and St Athanasius Church after the service.
Nahla Wagih, a friend of Miss Tawfik, said: ‘It is so sad to see the family in this state. There are no words to describe her loss.
‘Yara was the perfect daughter and grand-daughter. The family must be broken. I don’t know what words of comfort to say to them.’
Mrs Wagih, who worked with Miss Tawfik as a flight attendant on Egypt Air, was one of hundreds of relatives, friends and colleagues who attended the memorial, to which MailOnline was invited.
A large picture of 26-year-old Miss Tawfik was put up in the church between cross of flowers during the 40-minute service.
Afterwards, members of her family stood in a line outside the orthodox church as mourners paid their respects.
Mrs Wagih, who has worked for EgyptAir for 32 years, added: ‘I last saw Yara a week ago before boarding a flight. She was smiling and happy and really full of life.
‘She was a pleasure to work with and a dear friend. I was also friends with the captain and he was a wonderful guy.
‘He had so much experience, but it seems something happened that was beyond his control.
‘I thought of going back in the air is hard for me, but I have to. It is our job, but it won’t be easy.’
- MailOnline was invited to attend the memorial ceremony by EgyptAir staff. An EgyptAir representative gave permission for MailOnline to attend the church service and take pictures at the conclusion of the memorial.