A family’s hopeful journey to London ends in unimaginable tragedy
Among the 242 passengers and crew aboard the ill-fated Air India flight that crashed shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad was a young doctor couple and their three children, embarking on a new chapter of life. Dr Komi Vyas, who had recently resigned from her position at a hospital in Udaipur, was relocating to London to join her husband, Dr Prateek Joshi. The family’s final moments were captured in a smiling selfie taken aboard the plane—an image that now stands as a heartbreaking reminder of the lives lost.
A moment of joy before devastation
The photograph, clicked by Dr Joshi, shows him and his wife seated together on one side of the aircraft aisle, their faces beaming. Across from them sit their children: five-year-old twin boys Nakul and Pradyut, and their eight-year-old sister Miraya. The boys flash tentative smiles at the camera, while Miraya grins with delight.
Friends and colleagues said both Dr Vyas and Dr Joshi had previously worked at Pacific Hospital in Udaipur. While Dr Joshi had moved to London some time ago, he had recently returned to Banswara in Rajasthan to take his family with him. “Komi had quit her job recently to join her husband in London,” confirmed a spokesperson from Pacific Hospital.
Roots in Rajasthan, dreams in London
Dr Joshi’s cousin, Nayan, shared that the family had left for Ahmedabad just a day before the flight. “Prateek had come here just two days ago to take his wife and children with him. Several other members of both families went to see them off,” he said.
The couple came from distinguished backgrounds. Dr Joshi’s father is a well-known radiologist in the city, and Komi’s father was an officer in the Public Works Department. Dr Komi Vyas’ brother, Prabuddha, recalled that she had married Dr Joshi ten years ago. Dr Joshi also has a sister who is an engineer.
Just 32 seconds in the air
Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London, took off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38 pm on Thursday. Moments after lifting off, the aircraft failed to gain sufficient altitude and crashed in a fiery explosion, just 32 seconds into the flight.
The plane was carrying 230 passengers, 10 crew members, and 2 pilots.
Videos of the crash suggest the aircraft was struggling to generate lift, raising concerns about engine performance. “The take-off was perfect and just, I believe, short of taking the gear up, the aircraft started descending, which can happen only in case the engine loses power or the aircraft stops developing lift. The investigation will reveal the exact reason,” said Captain Saurabh Bhatnagar, a former senior pilot, in a statement to NDTV.
One survivor, a nation mourns
As of Thursday evening, only one passenger, 40-year-old British-Indian Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, survived the crash. He had been returning to the UK after visiting family in India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy. “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected,” he posted on X.
The smiling selfie of the Joshi family, once a symbol of hope and reunion, now echoes the enormity of lives lost and dreams left unfinished.
