A Final Selfie: The heartbreaking story of the Joshi-Vyas Family in the Air India Plane crash

Somewhere beneath the twisted wreckage of Air India Flight 171 in Ahmedabad, a phone lies lost  perhaps destroyed, perhaps never to be recovered.

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But a single selfie taken with that phone has now become the haunting, enduring image of a tragedy that claimed 241 lives.

That photo belonged to a family of five from Rajasthan, Dr. Prateek Joshi, his wife Dr. Komi Vyas, and their three young children. It captured what was meant to be a new chapter for them.

Komi, a respected doctor at Pacific Hospital in Udaipur, had recently resigned her job.

She and their children, five-year-old twins Nakul and Pradyut, and their eight-year-old sister Miraya, were finally joining Prateek, who had settled in London.

In the selfie, taken minutes before takeoff, the parents smile brightly. The boys, trying to match their parents’ joy, beam shyly at the camera, while Miraya’s face radiates excitement.

It was a moment of hope, of reunion, of long-distance dreams finally coming true.

But 32 seconds after takeoff, everything changed. The plane struggled for lift, lost power, and plunged into nearby accommodation buildings in a fiery crash. Of the 242 people onboard, only one survivor, 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, was pulled from the wreckage.

Friends, neighbours, and relatives have since spoken of the Joshi-Vyas family’s dreams and the devastating loss.

Komi’s brother, Prabuddha, said the couple had married a decade ago and were looking forward to a fresh start in the UK. Both Prateek and Komi were known for their dedication in Udaipur’s medical community, while Prateek’s father is a respected radiologist.

What began as a hopeful farewell quickly turned into heartbreak.

The tragedy has left an entire community mourning and serves as a brutal reminder of how fragile life can be.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his sorrow, calling the tragedy “heartbreaking beyond words” and pledging support for the victims’ families.

But for those left behind, for the loved ones in Udaipur and Banswara, it’s that final, innocent selfie that captures both the hope they carried and the horror of what was lost.

A moment frozen in time.

A family’s story, cut devastatingly short.