Abu Dhabi, May 23 (IANS): Two Abu Dhabi-based entrepreneurs have pledged to support the two children of a Kerala nurse who died after attending to Nipah virus patients in the Indian state.

A mother of two, 28-year-old Lini Puthussery from Kozhikkode was cremated on Monday even before her family members could bid a final goodbye because of fears that the virus could spread.

Santhi Pramot and Jyothi Pallat, executive directors of Avitis Institute of Medical Sciences in Palghat in Kerala, told the Khaleej Times they have pledged to sponsor the education of Puthussery's two sons, aged 2 and 7.

Hailing her dedication, Santhi Pramot, who lives with her family in Abu Dhabi, said: "What she did is a heroic sacrifice in the line of duty. We want to take a small step to honour her devotion to the nursing profession and also support the family in their grief.

"We have contacted the family and informed them that their sons' education till they are self-reliant is our responsibility.

"We are in the healthcare profession and are aware of the sacrifices and hardships of medical nurses. It was indeed a heart-breaking incident that she died while attending to her patients," Pramot said.

Meanwhile, Puthussery's brother-in-law Jayakumar Velom, a Sharjah resident, said Lini aspired to work in the Gulf.

"Lini wanted to find a job in the Gulf region to support her children and her aged mother. She tried many times but couldn't get anything," Velom told the daily.

In a final note that Puthussery scribbled for her husband in a hospital isolation unit, she urged him to take care of their children and take them to the Gulf.