‘Saddest photos ever’: Family’s final photo before Air India plane crash
Two doctors and their three children snapped a heartbreaking final selfie on-board the doomed Air India plane just moments before disaster struck.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A family shared a heartbreaking selfie before boarding the ill-fated Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad.
The family of five from Rajasthan, India, posted the happy picture ahead of the shocking tragedy, The Sun reported.
Udaipur-based doctor Komi Vyas had just quit her job to join her husband Prateek Joshi in London along with their three kids.
The picture shows Mr Joshi and Ms Vyas with beaming smiles along with their children on board the flight, in what one X user said “is one of the saddest photos ever taken”.
Mr Joshi had moved to London some time ago, and the rest of the family was on their way to join him, NDTV has reported.
“Komi had quit her job recently to join her husband in London,” a spokesperson for Pacific Hospital, where Ms Vyas worked, said.
Neighbours have told NDTV that Mr Joshi’s father is a well-respected radiologist in the city.
“They left for Ahmedabad yesterday to take the flight to London,” Mr Joshi’s cousin, Nayan, said.
“Prateek had come here just two days ago to take his wife and children with him.
“Several other members of both families went to see them off.”
Ms Vyas’ brother told NDTV the couple had been married for 10 years.
Air India Flight AI171 had been heading to London Gatwick Airport when it crashed into a hostel used by doctors on Thursday local time.
There were 242 people on board, including 53 Brits and 11 children. More than 200 bodies have been recovered so far, while one Brit, miraculously, survived.
Haunting footage of the plane’s final moments shows it before it crashed into a fireball.
A formal investigation into the crash has now been opened by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.
“The takeoff was perfect and just, I believe, short of taking the gear up, the aircraft started descending, which can happen only in case the engine loses power or the aircraft stops developing lift,” Captain Saurabh Bhatnagar, a former senior pilot, told NDTV.
“Obviously, the investigation will reveal the exact reason.”
British man Vishwashkumar Ramesh, 40, is so far understood to be the only surviving passenger.
Incredible footage shows him walking away from the plane’s wreckage almost unscathed.
“I just got out of the plane, it exploded,” he said, speaking in Hindi.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X: “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected.”
Air India has confirmed that 241 of the 242 people aboard the plane died following the crash.
The airline added that it “offers its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased”.
This article was originally published on The Sun and was reproduced with permission
Originally published as ‘Saddest photos ever’: Family’s final photo before Air India plane crash
Drone warfare should put Australia on notice
The nature of war has changed and Australia had better keep up, writes James Morrow, because right now we are vulnerable and our defence facilities sit virtually undefended.
Albo takes Trump plea to US audience
The PM will tell a US audience that Australia will always act in its “national interests” as he announces a huge Aussie investment from a major American firm.