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Ahmedabad, June 12, 2025 — A joyful family selfie, snapped moments before takeoff, has become a haunting symbol of the tragedy that struck Air India Flight 171 on Thursday. The photo, taken by Dr. Prateek Joshi, shows him, his wife Dr. Komi Vyas, and their three young children smiling aboard the aircraft — a moment of hope and reunion now forever linked to one of India’s worst aviation disasters.
Dr. Komi Vyas, who had recently resigned from her hospital post in Udaipur, was relocating to London to join her husband, Dr. Joshi, who had been working in the UK. Their twin sons, Nakul and Pradyut, aged five, and their eight-year-old daughter, Miraya, were with them, embarking on a new chapter as a family. The family had left Rajasthan for Ahmedabad, where they boarded the ill-fated flight to London Gatwick, accompanied to the airport by relatives and friends who came to bid them farewell.
The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 people — 230 passengers and 12 crew — crashed into a residential area of Ahmedabad just seconds after takeoff at 1:38 pm. The aircraft lost altitude rapidly, exploding in a fireball and leaving devastation both on
board and on the ground. Only one passenger, British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, is known to have survived the crash; at least 204 bodies have been recovered, and rescue operations are ongoing.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation, but early reports suggest the aircraft struggled to gain lift and may have suffered a loss of engine power. Video footage captured the plane descending over a residential neighborhood before erupting in flames, with the tail sectio
n protruding from a damaged building and emergency teams rushing to the scene.
Tata Group chairperson N. Chandrasekaran confirmed the trag
edy and express
ed condolences, stating, “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also responded, saying he was “stunned and saddened” by the loss and was in contact with authorities to ensure support for those impacted.
The Joshi-Vyas family, remembered by friends and colleagues as dedicated professionals and loving parents, had been preparing for a new life together in London. Their smiling selfie, now circulating widely, stands as a poignant reminder of the lives lost and the families forever changed by the Ahmedabad plane crash.
