Dr Pratik Joshi, his wife Dr Komi Vyas, and their three young children were en route to a fresh start in London when tragedy struck. Their flight crashed just 32 seconds after takeoff in Ahmedabad, claiming all lives on board. The family’s final photograph, filled with joy, now symbolizes a dream shattered and a nation in mourning.
Just hours before a devastating tragedy struck, a smiling selfie captured a moment of hope, love, and new beginnings. In that photograph—now frozen in time—Dr Pratik Joshi, his wife Dr Komi Vyas, and their three young children sat aboard Air India flight AI-171, ready to begin a new life together in London. Minutes later, the aircraft plunged into a residential neighbourhood in Ahmedabad, claiming the lives of all five family members.The crash, which killed 242 people on board, has left an indelible scar on Rajasthan’s Banswara and Udaipur, from where several of the victims hailed. Among them, the Joshi family’s story stands out as one of particularly profound loss, as confirmed by News18.
A Dream Cut Short
Dr Pratik Joshi had been living in London for six years, building a career and a future. His wife, Dr Komi Vyas, a respected physician at Pacific Hospital in Udaipur, had resigned from her job just two days before the journey, ready to relocate and reunite the family for good. Their children—twin boys Nakul and Pradyut, aged five, and daughter Miraya, eight—were excited for their new life abroad.
According to a report from NDTV, a spokesperson from Pacific Hospital told, “Komi had quit her job recently to join her husband in London.”Neighbours and friends say the couple were admired not only for their professional accomplishments but also for their warmth and progressive values. “The entire town is grieving,” a close family friend told News18, describing them as “a warm, aspirational couple who wanted the best for their children.”
The family’s final photograph, taken on board the ill-fated Dreamliner, shows the parents smiling across the aisle from their children, who mirror their excitement with beaming faces. The image has become a haunting reminder of the fragility of life and the cruel swiftness with which dreams can vanish.
The Final Moments
According to aviation experts, Air India flight AI-171 was in the air for merely 32 seconds before it began to descend uncontrollably and exploded into a fireball near Ahmedabad’s Meghani Nagar at 1:38 pm. Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft struggling to gain altitude, and early findings suggest the engines may have failed to generate enough thrust.
The plane was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members on a routine flight to London. For the Joshi family and many others, it was meant to be the start of a new chapter. Instead, it became their tragic end.
A Nation Left Searching for Answers
The crash has prompted a wave of grief and urgent questions about aircraft safety and emergency preparedness. But amid the technical analyses and official responses, it is the personal stories—like that of the Joshi-Vyas family.
As authorities continue to investigate the cause of the accident, one truth remains painfully clear: a family full of promise, captured in a single smiling selfie, was lost to the skies in a moment that shattered countless lives.
