Dr Prateek Joshi his wife and their three children were ready to embark on a new chapter in London. But fate has some other plans.
Prateek, a radiologist working in London, his wife, Dr. Komi Joshi, a pathologist from Rajasthan, and their three children, a 9-year-old daughter, Miraya, and 4-year-old twin boys, Nakul and Pradyut, were among the 241 passengers who lost their lives in the Air India Flight AI171 crash on June 12, in Ahmedabad.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, bound for London's Gatwick Airport, crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, plunging into the Meghani Nagar area and killing all but one passenger, along with several people on the ground.
Prateek had been living alone in London for four years and had recently returned to bring his family with him.
Prateek's old father Dr. JP Joshi shared his profound grief and frustration over the death of his family members.
"He had come to India to take his family with him. He had been working in London for four years. He often came back to visit his children and wife. He never used to take a direct flight. But he said he would this time, so it would be easier for the children," JP Joshi said.
"His wife had resigned from her job in Udaipur so that they could live together. She packed all their belongings and got the children's transfer certificate, all by herself. My grandchildren, the twin boys, would have turned five on August 15. We went to drop them off at the airport. He even told me that Papa, you also get prepared to come live with me in London. I told him that first, you settle down, then I will come. I was also looking into shutting down my clinic, so my wife and I could move to London to stay with our son," the grieving father added.
"That picture going viral on social media is from inside the plane. My grandchildren were so happy to be moving to London. My grandsons slept with me the whole night. We had purchased their school bags. They slept all night with their school bags, saying they would now study in London. No one from the airlines has contacted us," he painfully said.
Dr. Komi Joshi's father, Dr. Anil Vyas, recounted his last moments with his daughter.
"First, we went to the hospital to check if they were admitted to the ICU. But we couldn't find them anywhere. Then we gave samples for a DNA test. We appeal to the government to hand over their remains to us soon, or if nothing is left of their bodies, then tell us that too, so we can go back," Vyas said.
Dr Vyas said the causes that led to the Air India plane crash should be probed quickly to prevent such incidents in the future.
"The shortcomings of the Air India flight should also be investigated quickly so that such incidents do not happen again. I had spoken to her at 1:32 PM for the last time on a video call. She called me when their plane was on the runway to talk one last time before takeoff. She wanted to talk to her mother. But since her mother was in the operating theatre, I told Komi not to hurry and talk to her mother after she reached Derby," the father said.
"I started getting calls from people after a mere 15 minutes, asking which plane they were in. I found out that they were in the same plane that crashed. We rushed here. Roads were blocked everywhere. The crash happened just two to three minutes after I last talked to her," he added.
The family was set to begin a new chapter in London, with Dr. Komi Vyas having resigned from her position at Pacific Hospital in Udaipur to join her husband, who had been working at Royal Derby Hospital since 2021.
A selfie taken by Dr Prateek Joshi onboard the flight, showing the smiling family, has gone viral, capturing their excitement for the journey ahead.
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