Chennai woman among four Indian nationals burnt alive in US multi-car crash
The victims Aryan Raghunath Orampatti from Hyderabad, his friend Farooq Sheikh, another Telugu student Lokesh Palacharla, and Darshini Vasudev from Chennai, Tamil Nadu were carpooling
Darshini Vasudevan and Aryan Raghunath Orampati were among the Indian nationals burnt alive in US multi-car crash (Daily Thanthi)
CHENNAI: Four Indian nationals, including a woman from Chennai, died in a multi-vehicle collision in the US state of Texas on Friday. Several others were injured.
The tragic incident involving five vehicles occured when a speeding truck failed to slow down and crashed into the rear of an SUV, on the northbound US 75 just past White Street at Anna near Dallas.
The impact was so severe that the SUV caught fire and the four occupants were trapped inside which resulted in their deaths.
The victims were identified as Aryan Raghunath Orampatti from the Kukatpally suburb of Hyderabad, his friend Farooq Sheikh, another Telugu student Lokesh Palacharla, and Darshini Vasudev from Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
They four had connected through a carpooling app, which reportedly helped the identities to confirm their identity.
It took days to officially identify the victims as the bodies were charred beyond recognition. The Labour Day long weekend and the need to use DNA fingerprinting on bone remnants to confirm their identities also added to the delay, as per media reports.
Several others sustained non-life-threatening injuries though the exact number remains unclear.
On Saturday, Vasudevan, father of Darshini Vasudev, had tagged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in a social media post, requesting the Indian government's help in locating his daughter.
Consul General of India in Houston D C Manjunath who confirmed the victims' identities shared that the Consulate General of India (CGI) is in touch with the families and community organisations, providing full support during this tragic moment.
Darshini Vasudev, a postgraduate from the University of Texas who had just started her job in Frisco, Dallas, was on her way to visit her uncle Ramanujam in Arkansas.
Orampatti and Sheikh, recent graduates from the University of Texas at Dallas, were returning after visiting a cousin in Dallas.
Palacharla, who was driving the vehicle, was a working professional. He was heading to Bentonville to reunite with his wife.
(With PTI inputs)
