Four Indians, including one woman, tragically lost their lives in a major accident involving five vehicles in Texas. The victims had organized their trip through a carpooling app and were en route to Bentonville, Arkansas, when the disaster occurred. The crash caused a fire in their SUV, resulting in the bodies being severely charred. Authorities are now relying on DNA testing to confirm their identities.
The deceased have been identified as Aryan Raghunath Orampati, Farooq Shaik, Lokesh Palacharla, and Dharshini Vasudevan. Orampati and Shaik were returning from a visit to Orampati’s cousin in Dallas. Palacharla was heading to Bentonville to reunite with his wife. Vasudevan, who had completed her Master’s degree at the University of Texas and was working in the US, was traveling to visit her uncle in Bentonville. The connection made through the carpooling app has aided authorities in identifying them.
Vasudevan’s father had recently reached out to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar via Twitter, seeking assistance in locating his daughter. He wrote, “Dear Sir, My daughter Dharshini Vasudevan, holding Indian passport No-T6215559, has been in the USA for the last 3 years—2 years for MS studies and 1 year for employment. She stays at 3150 Avenue of the Stars Apt 1110, Frisco, Texas-75034. Yesterday evening, she took a carpooling ride with three others. She was actively messaging and reachable on the phone until about 4 PM, after which we lost contact with her and the others.”
Orampati’s father, Subhash Chandra Reddy, runs Max Agri Genetics Private Limited in Hyderabad. Aryan had completed his engineering degree at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in Coimbatore. Reddy shared, “His parents were in the US in May for his graduation ceremony at the University of Texas. After the ceremony, they asked him to return to India, but he chose to stay in the US for another two years. Unfortunately, fate had other plans.”
Shaik, also from Hyderabad and residing in Bentonville, had gone to the US three years ago to complete his MS degree. His father, Masthan Vali, a retired private employee living in BHEL Hyderabad, said, “My daughter, who lives in the US, is currently managing the situation.”
Reports indicate that a speeding truck rear-ended the SUV, causing it to burst into flames and resulting in the deaths of all its occupants. Authorities are using DNA fingerprinting and analyzing teeth and bone fragments to identify the victims. “DNA fingerprinting will be conducted, and samples will be compared with those of the parents,” stated a local authority.
The process of identification has been delayed due to a long weekend in the US, extending the anguish for the victims’ families.
