Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Rajasthan's Joshi family's London dream shattered as last selfie goes viral after tragedy

Time of India

2 days ago

The Air India crash in Ahmedabad on Thursday shattered not just metal but entire futures. Among the 260 lives lost was a family from Rajasthan whose final moments have left the nation weeping. Dr Kaumi Vyas, her husband Pratik Joshi, and their three young children, Miraya, Pradyut, and Nakul, were on board AI171, ready to begin a new chapter in London. Their smiling faces in a selfie taken moments before the take-off have now become the most heart-wrenching image of the tragedy.
A new chapter that never began for Joshi family
In the photo now circulating widely on social media, Pratik and Kaumi are seated side-by-side, while their three children beam beside them. It was meant to mark a milestone, a farewell to India and a hello to a promising life in the UK. The image has since turned into a tragic symbol of dreams that never had the chance to bloom.
A family's dream cut short
Pratik Joshi had been working in London for some time. He had returned home to bring his wife and children to settle with him permanently. Dr Kaumi Vyas had been serving at a private hospital in Rajasthan and had likely planned her departure with both hope and hesitation, like many who leave behind their roots for a future abroad.
The crash that claimed over 260 lives
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed just 33 seconds after take-off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The impact not only killed nearly everyone on board, 241 of the 242 passengers and crew, but also struck a nearby medical college intern hostel, increasing the death toll to at least 260. Only one passenger, a British national of Indian origin, miraculously survived.
What was meant to be a new beginning for the Joshi-Vyas family ended in devastation. Now, their final smiling photo lives on — a painful reminder of how one moment can steal an entire future.