In a tragic accident in Texas, four Indian nationals, including a woman, were killed in a fiery crash involving five vehicles. The victims—Aryan Raghunath Orampati, Farooq Shaik, Lokesh Palacharla, and Dharshini Vasudevan—had connected via a carpooling app for a trip from Dallas to Bentonville, Arkansas.
The SUV they were traveling in caught fire following a collision with a speeding truck, resulting in their bodies being severely charred. Authorities are using DNA testing to confirm their identities.
Orampati and Shaik were returning from visiting family, while Palacharla was heading to see his wife, and Vasudevan was traveling to visit her uncle. Vasudevan’s father had previously appealed for help on Twitter, tagging External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
Orampati, an engineering graduate from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, and Shaik, both from Hyderabad, were working in the US. Vasudevan, originally from Tamil Nadu, had recently completed her Master’s at the University of Texas. Palacharla was also from Hyderabad.
Reports indicate the crash was caused by a speeding truck that rear-ended their SUV, igniting the fire. The identification process is delayed due to a long weekend in the US, extending the families’ distress.
