Published : 13 Jun 2025, 06:24 AM
A wave of mourning has swept through Rajasthan following a devastating Air India plane crash near Ahmedabad in India’s Gujarat.
At least 11 passengers from the state were aboard the doomed flight, all confirmed dead by local authorities.
NDTV reports that the victims included five residents of Banswara, four from Udaipur, one from Balotra, and another from the Sriganganagar area of Bikaner.
Among the dead are five children.
The most heartbreaking loss comes from a single family in Banswara--all members are killed in the crash.
Prateek Joshi, a physician, had long dreamt of settling in London.
He moved there in 2016 and had been building his career for six years.
His wife, Komi Vyas, a doctor, remained in India with their three children.
People close to the family said both had worked at Pacific Hospital in Udaipur.
After years of planning and preparation, Komi had resigned from her job to join her husband in London.
Their journey to a new life was cut short when the flight crashed.
Prateek, Komi, their two sons, and daughter were all killed.
The selfie, taken by Prateek aboard the ill-fated flight, shows him and his wife smiling on one side, with their young twin boys and elder daughter seated across the aisle.
The boys struggle to smile for the camera, while their elder sister beams brightly.
The tragedy has cast a shadow over Banswara and Komi’s former workplace, Udaipur Medical College.
Air India Flight 171 to London, carrying the couple and their children, took off from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was airborne for just 32 seconds before it began descending and exploded in a fireball at 1:38 pm.
There were 242 people on board-- 230 passengers, 10 crew members and two pilots.
Videos show the aircraft struggled to gain lift. Experts suggest the engine failed to generate sufficient thrust.