Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Family of 5 from Rajasthan meet ill fate before new start in London

BANSWARA(Rajasthan): A family of five, including three children, from Rajasthan lost their lives in the plane crash in Ahmedabad that claimed the lives of 241 people on Thursday.

The tragedy befell the family as they boarded the ill-fated aircraft on Thursday to start a new life in London.

The couple, both doctors, along with their three children, lost their lives after Air India 171, bound for London, took off and seconds later sank and descended into a fireball.

A last photo of the family, which is making the rounds on the internet, shows the members seated next to each other with joy palpable on their faces.
Komi Vyas, a doctor in Udaipur, had recently quit her job and was about to move to London with her husband, Prateek Joshi and their three children.

Joshi had moved to London some time ago and returned to Banswara to take the family with him. Several members of their family had arrived at the airport to see them off on the day of the incident.

Banswara Collector Dr Indrajit Singh Yadav said, “A doctor couple and their three children from Banswara died in the plane crash. The husband, a doctor, was based in London, the wife had filed a resignation, and the duo and their kids were going to settle in London.”

“We met their family members and offered our condolences on behalf of Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma. We have been told that it will take up to 72 hours for DNA testing,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad has recovered a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) from the debris of the Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon, killing all passengers and crew members except one.

“It’s a DVR, which we have recovered from the debris. The FSL team will come here soon,” an ATS personnel member told reporters.

A DVR in an aircraft is a specialised system designed to capture, store, and manage video footage from cameras installed onboard. These systems are crucial for security, training, operational reviews, and compliance with aviation safety standards.

While DVRs focus on video, traditional Flight Data Recorders (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVR) capture instrument metrics and audio, respectively, for crash investigations.

A total of 241 people onboard the Boeing 787-8, Air India flight 171, including 12 crew members, have died in the deadly Ahmedabad plane crash, Air India confirmed post-midnight on Friday.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a review meeting with the officials at the airport in Ahmedabad in the wake of the Air India plane crash incident. The visuals show PM Narendra Modi chairing the meeting while the officials brief him about the accident.PM Modi, earlier on Friday, visited the Air India plane crash site in Ahmedabad and reviewed the ground situation, a day after the AI-171 flight bound for London Gatwick crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad International Airport.

Sharing an X post, the Prime Minister wrote, “Visited the crash site in Ahmedabad today. The scene of devastation is saddening. Met officials and teams are working tirelessly in the aftermath. Our thoughts remain with those who lost their loved ones in this unimaginable tragedy.”Meanwhile, a process of DNA sampling for the identification of deceased passengers of the Air India 171 flight is underway at the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad.

On Thursday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah met with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and obtained detailed information about the entire incident.
Shah said that there was no chance of saving anyone in the London-bound Air India plane crash because of the high temperature caused by the burning of almost 125,000 litres of fuel in the aircraft.

Expressing condolences to family members of those killed, Shah said the exact number of deaths will be officially released only after DNA tests. Shah revealed that approximately 1000 DNA tests have been conducted so far. (ANI)