Dream to join husband in London shattered: Family’s final moments captured before tragic Air India crash
Dr Vyas had resigned from her job to migrate to London to join her husband, Dr Prateek Joshi, who had already settled there.
AHMEDABAD – A selfie taken onboard an Air India flight became the final experience of joy for a family before tragedy struck.
The image captured a moment of hope shared by a family of doctors from Rajasthan, shortly before the plane they boarded crashed, killing 241 out of the 242 people on board.
The selfie showed Dr Prateek Joshi and his wife Dr Komi Vyas, smiling while seated together on one side of the aircraft, while their three children – twin boys and a daughter – sat across the aisle, also beaming with joy.
The photo was believed to have been taken just minutes before the flight departed from Ahmedabad Airport en route to London.
Dr Vyas, who had previously worked at a hospital in Udaipur, had resigned from her job to migrate to London to join her husband, Dr Prateek Joshi, who had already settled there.
The couple brought along their three children: Nakul and Pradyut, both five years old, and their daughter Miraya, aged eight.
“She had just resigned to follow her husband to London,” said a spokesperson from Pacific Hospital, where Dr Vyas had worked alongside her husband.
According to close relatives, Dr Joshi had recently returned to their hometown of Banswara, Rajasthan earlier this week to accompany his wife and children on their journey to the United Kingdom.
Several relatives had also gathered at Ahmedabad Airport to send them off for the final time.
Dr Vyas' younger brother, Prabuddha, said the couple had been married for 10 years. Dr Joshi’s father was a well-known radiologist in the city, while Dr Vyas' father had previously served as an officer in the Public Works Department (PWD).
Dr Joshi also has a younger sister who is an engineer.
Air India Flight 171, en route to London, departed from Ahmedabad Airport on Thursday but was airborne for only 32 seconds before it nosedived and exploded at exactly 1.38pm local time.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was carrying 242 people, including 230 passengers, 10 crew members, and two pilots.
Footage of the incident showed the aircraft struggling to gain lift and failing to achieve the necessary thrust. Aviation experts believe that engine failure may have occurred.
“During take-off, everything seemed normal. But before the landing gear could be retracted, the aircraft began to nosedive. This can only happen if the engines lost power or the aircraft failed to generate lift. A full investigation will determine the exact cause,” said Captain Saurabh Bhatnagar, a former senior pilot reportedly said.
As of Thursday night, only one survivor had been reported – Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, a British national of Indian descent who was returning to the UK after visiting family in India.
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