Four Indian nationals, including a woman, lost their lives and several others were injured in a tragic multi-vehicle road accident in the United States during the Labour Day weekend.
According to the Collin County Sheriff’s Office, the accident involving five vehicles occurred on the northbound US 75 just past White Street at Anna near Dallas in Texas.
Consul General of India in Houston Manjunath Chennerappa confirmed the identities and said the Consulate General of India is in touch with the families and community organisations, providing full support during this tragic moment.
According to witnesses and preliminary reports, traffic was at a standstill on the highway and an SUV was among those vehicles that were idling when the accident took place on Friday (Aug 30) afternoon.
A truck travelling at high speed struck the rear of the SUV. The force of the collision was such that the SUV caught fire and the four occupants were trapped inside which resulted in their deaths.
The bodies were charred beyond recognition.
Several others sustained non-life-threatening injuries though the exact number remains unclear.
The victims were identified as Mr Aryan Raghunath Orampatti from Hyderabad, Mr Farooq Sheikh, Mr Lokesh Palacharla and Ms Darshini Vasudevan from Tamil Nadu.
Mr Orampatti and Mr Sheikh were returning after visiting a cousin in Dallas while Mr Palacharla was heading to Bentonville to reunite with his wife.
Ms Darshini, a postgraduate from the University of Texas, was on her way to visit her uncle in Arkansas.
The identification of the victims was delayed due to the long weekend and the need for DNA fingerprinting, using bone remnants to confirm their identities.
“Darshini’s uncle Ramanujam lives in Bentonville, Arkansas,” Mr Manjunath said. “She was going to visit him. Darshini had just completed her master’s and had started her job in Frisco, Dallas.
“The other two, Umar Farooq Sheikh and Aryan Raghunath Orampatti, were recent graduates from the University of Texas at Dallas, with Sheikh completing his master’s in business analytics in spring 2023, and Orampatti pursuing his master’s in finance, set to graduate in spring 2024.
“Lokesh, who was driving the vehicle, was also a working professional.”
A friend of Mr Orampatti’s father in Hyderabad said Wednesday that four people, including Mr Orampatti and his friend Mr Sheikh, had joined the vehicle using a carpooling app.
After getting to know about the accident from a relative staying in the US on Saturday, Mr Orampatti’s parents left for the US, he told PTI.
Mr Orampatti’s father Subhash Chandra Reddy owns Hyderabad-based company Max Agri Genetics.
“His parents were in the US in May for his convocation at the University of Texas,” said a relative. “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.”
Mr Sheikh’s father Mastan Vali, who lives in Hyderabad, told PTI he was told of the accident on Saturday.
“Some friends of Farooq informed my daughter, who lives in the US. My daughter is following up with authorities there,” Mr Vali said, adding they are planning to bring Mr Sheikh’s mortal remains to Hyderabad.
Mr Palacharla, from Andhra Pradesh, worked with the Bank of America in Allen, Texas.
Ms Darshini’s father had tagged India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in a Twitter post three days ago and sought help in locating his daughter.
