The Air India crash in Ahmedabad has plunged Rajasthan into mourning, with 10 confirmed fatalities from the state. Among the victims was an entire family from Banswara — software professional Pratik Joshi, his wife Dr Komi Vyas, and their three children, including five-year-old twin daughters — all of whom were on their way to begin a new life in London.
Joshi had been living and working in London for the past six years and had recently prepared for his family to join him permanently. Dr Vyas, a medical practitioner, had resigned from her position just two days before the flight, signaling their long-awaited relocation.
Locals in Banswara described the couple as “aspirational and deeply committed to their professions.” Friends and relatives were left shocked by the news, with one family friend saying, “The entire town is grieving. They were a warm, progressive couple who only wanted the best for their children.”
The tragedy didn’t end with the Joshi family. Four more lives from Udaipur were lost in the crash: siblings Shubh Modi (24) and Shagun Modi (22), children of marble businessman Pinku Modi, were pursuing higher studies and were flying together.
Also on board were Vardi Chand Menaria and Prakash Menaria from Rundeda village in Udaipur, and 27-year-old Khushboo Rajpurohit from Balotra, remembered for her work in women’s education.
The Air India flight AI-171, en route to London Gatwick with 242 people on board, crashed into a residential building minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon. While investigations are ongoing, families across Rajasthan are left to grapple with unimaginable loss — a tragedy that has left an indelible mark on the state.