The tragedy calls for road safety and has sparked conversations within the Indian community in the US, calling for better support systems for expatriates and stricter road safety measures
Four Indian nationals tragically lost their lives in a devastating five-vehicle accident in Texas on August 30. The victims were carpooling to Bentonville, Arkansas, when their SUV caught fire after being hit by a speeding truck, leaving the bodies charred beyond recognition. Authorities were able to confirm the identities of the deceased through DNA testing and information retrieved from a carpooling app.
The victims were identified as Aryan Raghunath Orampati, Dharshini Vasudevan, Farooq Shaik, and Lokesh Palacharla. Orampati and Shaik were returning to Arkansas after visiting a cousin in Texas, while Palacharla was en route to meet his wife. Vasudevan, a recent graduate of the University of Texas, was traveling to visit her uncle in Bentonville during the long holiday weekend.
The delay in identifying the victims due to the holiday weekend in the US left their families in distress and uncertainty. Orampati’s father, Subhash Chandra Reddy, who owns the Hyderabad-based company Max Agri Genetics, expressed sorrow over the tragic loss of his son, who had recently graduated with an engineering degree from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in Coimbatore. Orampati had planned to work in the US for a few years before returning to India.
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The victims’ families have been deeply affected by this tragic event, with the Indian diaspora rallying to offer support. This accident not only claimed four lives but also left a deep scar on the families and communities involved
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The identification process, which relied on DNA analysis, added to the emotional turmoil, with loved ones left in limbo as they awaited confirmation of their worst fears
Farooq Shaik, Orampati’s close friend, also hailed from Hyderabad. Shaik had moved to the US in 2021 to pursue a master’s degree. His father, Masthan Vali, expressed his grief, mentioning that Shaik’s sister, who also resides in the US, is managing the situation.
Dharshini Vasudevan, originally from Tamil Nadu, had completed her master’s degree from the University of Texas and had been working in the US for a year. Her father, Vasudevan, sought help from India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on social media after being unable to contact her. His plea detailed his daughter’s situation, explaining that she had been carpooling with three others and had stopped responding to messages after 4 PM, raising alarm.
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