Four Indians, including a woman, have died in a massive crash involving five vehicles in US’ Texas. The victims had connected through a carpooling app and were on their way to Bentonville in Arkansas on Friday when the tragedy struck. The crash led to a fire in the SUV they were in, and their bodies are charred. Authorities are relying on DNA testing to confirm the identities.
The victims have been identified as Aryan Raghunath Orampati, Farooq Shaik, Lokesh Palacharla, and Darshini Vasudevan. Orampati and his friend Shaik were returning after visiting his cousin in Dallas. Lokesh Palacharla was traveling to Bentonville to meet his wife. And Darshini Vasudevan, a Master’s degree graduate from the University of Texas, was going to visit her uncle in Bentonville. They connected through a carpooling app and this helped authorities identify them.
Orampati’s father Subhash Chandra Reddy owns a Hyderabad-based firm named Max Agri Genetics Private Limited. Aryan completed his engineering degree at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in Coimbatore. “His parents were in the US in May for his convocation at the University of Texas. After the convocation, they asked him to return to India, but he said he wanted to work in the US for two more years. Fate has struck like this,” said a relative.
Orampati’s friend Shaik, too, was from Hyderabad and lived in Bentonville. Darshini, from Tamil Nadu, was living in Frisco, Texas.
Farooq Shaik’s father Masthan Vali said he went to the US three years back. “He went to the US to complete his MS degree. He finished it recently.” Mr Vali is a retired private employee and the family lives in BHEL Hyderabad. “My daughter also lives in US and is handling the situation.”
According to reports, five vehicles were involved in the tragic crash. A speeding truck rear-ended the SUV the victims were in. The car burst into flames and all the occupants burnt to death. Authorities are now relying on DNA fingerprinting and teeth and bone remains to confirm the identities. “DNA fingerprinting will be done to identify the bodies, and the samples will be matched with the parents,” a local authority said.
A long weekend in the US has delayed the identification process, prolonging the suffering of the families crushed by the tragedy. Darshini Vasudevan’s parents have appealing to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for help.
