Doctor on Air India flight was bringing family to UK

Telegraph

13-06-2025

Smiling for the camera, this is the selfie a doctor took with his wife and children moments before they all perished in the Air India crash.
Dr Prateek Joshi, a radiologist at Royal Derby Hospital, had flown to India just two days before Thursday's crash to be reunited with his wife Dr Komi Vyas, their twin five-year-old sons, Nakul and Pradyut, and eight-year-old daughter Miraya.
The five were finally set to start a new life together in the UK after a period apart, with a photo from the plane showing their excitement.
Sitting in their seats at Ahmedabad airport, Dr Joshi beams to the camera next to his wife of 10 years, who had recently given up her job at Pacific Hospital in Udaipur
Their three children, sitting across the aisle, follow suit with huge grins on their faces
But little could they have known that disaster was about to strike as the plane plummeted to Earth just seconds after take-off, killing all but one onboard.
Derby Hindu Temple, where Dr Joshi was a regular worshipper, confirmed in a tribute posted online that the family of five were among the 169 Indian nationals killed.
In a post on Facebook, a spokesman said: 'It is with deep sorrow that we inform you that Dr Prateek Joshi and his family were on board the Air India flight that tragically crashed en route from Ahmedabad to London.
They added: 'We pray to Lord Shiva to grant eternal peace to the departed souls and to give strength to the bereaved family to bear this immense loss.'
University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS confirmed to the Telegraph that Dr Joshi had worked as a radiology consultant and that a tribute was being prepared.
Dr Deepak Kaladagi, a former classmate and close friend of Dr Joshi, shared a photo of the family on holiday with an accompanying caption: 'May their souls rest in peace and God give strength to their family to bear this loss.'
Some 53 Britons, 169 Indians, seven Portuguese and one Canadian national died in the crash.
Nirali Sureshkumar Patel, a dentist from Mississauga, Ontario, has been identified as the single Canadian victim killed.
Mrs Patel worked at the Heritage Dental Centre and had a one-year-old child.
Her husband told Canada Press: That was my wife. I am not in a state to speak right now.'
Another family member said: 'She was very nice. She was very gentle, but this is not a good time.'
City councillor Natalie Hart said in tribute: 'I'm deeply saddened to learn that Dr. Patel, a dentist who practised in Ward 5, has been identified as a victim of the Air India tragedy.'
'My prayers are with her loved ones and everyone in our community who will be mourning her.'
Mrs Patel earned her dental degree in India in 2016, immigrated to Canada and received her licence to practice in 2019.
A family of three from Gloucester who died in the crash were 'widely loved and deeply respected', their relatives said in a statement issued through their Imam.
They were identified as father Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter Sara Nanabawa.
Abdullah Samad, a headteacher of their primary school, said Sara was a 'ray of sunshine' who 'lit up the classroom'.
He said the married couple were well known for their charity work and generosity.
'They touched lots of people and they will be missed by lots of people,' he told the BBC.
'They helped fundraise for the humanitarian efforts in Gaza and medical care for poor individuals in India. That was part of their service to the community,' he said.
The couple ran an outsourcing services business, Iceberg, with bases in both Gloucester and Ahmedabad.
Ms Vorajee was also a director at Peace Inclusion, a grassroots organisation that works to build bridges between communities and promote understanding of Islam through education.
Also onboard the doomed Air India flight were Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, who run a spiritual wellness centre and yoga studio.
The couple had posted on social media about their 'magical experience' in the country just hours before take-off.
In a video posted on social media from their boutique hotel in the city, the night before their flight, Fiongal, who described himself as a 'fashion designer-turned-spiritual adviser' said: 'So it's our last night in India and we have had a magical experience really, there has been some quite mind blowing things have happened.'
His husband Jamie, a yoga teacher and former dancer, added: 'We really have been on quite a journey and then just spending the last night here in this amazing hotel and we have just had the most delicious Tali food. It was a perfect way to round up the trip. Excited to share it all with you'.
The couple also shared a video of them at the airport just as people were boarding the plane and another in which Fiongal said that they were 'feeling very, very, very happy'.
The couple ran The Wellness Foundry in south London and Ramsgate, Kent, which offers psychic readings, tarot, Reiki and yoga.
In January, Fiongal appeared on ITV's This Morning to talk about people's auras and what they mean.
The couple's Wellness Foundry described it on Instagram as their 'biggest gig so far', adding that it was 'very nerve-wracking' but that Fiongal was 'honoured to chat about one of his favourite topics to such a big audience'.
Others feared dead include a family of four from Wembley who had been to visit a relative in the village of Diu.
'One of the nicest guys you'd ever meet'
Hemaxi Shantilal had been to visit her sick mother with her husband, Girish Lalgi, their three-year-old son Adair and one-year-old daughter Takshril.
Ms Shantilal spoke to a friend from the village just as she was boarding the plane.
Photographs posted on social media show the couple marrying in a lavish Indian ceremony four years ago.
Another passenger has been identified as Adnan Master, 30, from Forest Hill, east London, who had been visiting relatives in India with his wife and child. It is understood he was travelling back to London alone.
Mr Master was described by friends as cheerful, funny, intelligent and hard-working.
One friend, who declined to be named, said he was 'probably one of the nicest guys you'd ever meet' and worked two jobs – one at a DIY store in east London and another as a delivery driver.
The friend added: 'He was just one of the hardest-working people you'd ever meet. He just didn't stop, and everything he did was for his family. Everything he spoke about was for his family, 'I want to make my child have a good life'.'
Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter Sara were among the Britons listed as onboard the crashed plane.
It is understood that Mr Nanabawa, who grew up in Newport, was returning to his home in Gloucestershire with the family.
A community leader supporting the family said: 'During this moment of overwhelming sorrow, our hearts go out to all those left behind.
'No words can truly ease the pain of such a profound loss, but we pray that the family may find solace in the tremendous outpouring of compassion and solidarity from communities across the world.
'May their cherished memories provide comfort, and may they rest in eternal peace.'
A British family of four – Javed Ali Syed, his wife Mariam, and their young children, Zayn and Amani – were also onboard the Air India flight.
Mrs Syed, 35, has worked for nearly a decade as a brand ambassador at Harrods, while Mr Syed worked as a hotel manager at the Best Western Kensington Olympia Hotel. The family were reportedly returning home from a holiday in India.
The father-of-two previously received a Team Member of the Year award in 2017 while working for the Comfort Inn London in Westminster.
Another passenger onboard the Air India flight was Raxa Modha, who was recently widowed.
The 55-year-old had flown to India with her daughter-in-law, Yasha Kamdar, and her two-year-old grandson to fulfil her late husband Kishor's wish to live out his last days in his homeland.
The mother-of-three, who was returning to her home in Northamptonshire, had been in India for an extended period of time to support her husband while he battled an illness. Their son, Kishan Modha, was due to return to the UK on a later flight.
A family friend told MailOnline: 'It's incredibly sad, the whole family is already grieving Kishor's death.
'Kishan, fortunately, was getting on another flight, but we don't know what has happened to the others.'
She was described by neighbours on Thursday as a 'lovely lady'.