Indian family moving to London among victims in Air India fatal crash
An Indian family whose dreams of a new life in London were brutally cut short after the recent Air India flight AI171 crash, which tragically claimed the lives of at least 265 people on board and on ground.
"It is with deep sorrow that we inform you that Dr. Prateek Joshi and his family were on board the Air India flight that tragically crashed en route from Ahmedabad to London," Derby Hindu Temple said in a Facebook post.
"We pray to Lord Shiva to grant eternal peace to the departed souls and to give strength to the bereaved family to bear this immense loss," it added.
Dr. Prateek Joshi, a radiologist working in the UK, had reportedly flown back to India just days before the ill-fated flight to bring his wife, Dr. Komi Vyas, and their three young children, five-year-old twin boys Nakul and Pradyut, and eight-year-old daughter Miraya.
'Unassuming, genuine kind people'
The community is in mourning following the devastating news of the family's death, with former neighbors and colleagues remembering them as kind, joyful, and deeply genuine people.
Neil Ryan, who once lived next door to the family, described the loss as "absolutely devastating," calling them "just the nicest family."
"The family were really unassuming, genuine, kind people, honestly. It's heartbreaking," he told the BBC while sharing some memories of their time as neighbors.
"When they left, he came round—we always spoke to each other—he came round with a big bag of goodies, there was a bottle of gin, there was cakes, tea, all sorts. They were wonderful," he added.
The sentiment of warmth and goodwill was echoed by Mario Dimitrio Donadio, a fellow radiologist who worked closely with Joshi. As per Donadio, Joshi was "really ecstatic" when he told him days prior to the accident that he was planning on bringing his family to India to live with him in the UK to start a "new chapter in life."
"He was always very jolly, he was a sunny character, always bright and sparkling. The world is at loss, to lose people like him," he said.
BBC also reported that Joshi moved from India to Derby in 2021 and worked at the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton for four years.
"Prateek was not only an excellent doctor for whom nothing was too much trouble, but also a warm, smiling and kind man who was a hugely liked and valued member of the team," Stephen Posey, chief executive of UHDB, told the media outlet.
Joshi and his family are among the victims of a London-bound passenger jet that plowed into a residential area of India's Ahmedabad city, killing at least 265 people.
The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner issued a mayday call shortly before it crashed around lunchtime on Thursday after lifting barely 100 meters (330 feet) from the ground.
One man on board the plane, Ramesh Viswashkumar, miraculously survived Thursday's fiery crash, which left the tailpiece of the aircraft, carrying 242 passengers and crew, jutting out of the second floor of a hostel for medical staff from a nearby hospital.
Rescue personnel suggested that at least three dozen people had been killed on the ground.
