4 Indians burnt alive in US crash; they had connected through carpooling app

Four Indians, including a woman, were killed in a massive crash involving five vehicles in the US.

The crash involving multiple vehicles happened on a highway in Texas' Anna when a speeding truck allegedly collided with the victims’ car from behind. Soon after the crash, the car burst into flames and the victims were trapped inside. The bodies of the victims were reportedly charred. The victims have been identified as Aryan Raghunath Orampati, Farooq Shaik, Lokesh Palacharla and Darshini Vasudevan.

As per Texas media reports, the four had connected via a carpooling app and were heading to Bentonville.

Aryan and Farooq, both residents of Bentonville, were returning from a trip to Dallas. Lokesh Palacharla was travelling to Bentonville to meet his wife and Darshini Vasudevan was on her way to visit her uncle.

Darshini’s father had sought help from External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in a Twitter post to locate his daughter.

"Dear Sir, My daughter Dharshini Vasudevan holding Indian passport No-T6215559 have been in USA for the last 3 years, 2 years of MS studies and later 1 year of Employment and stays 3150 Avenue of the stars Apt 1110-Frisco,Texas-75034.

"Yesterday evening she took a car pooling along with 3 others around 3pm till 4pm she was actively messaging and reachable on phone after 4pm no further contacts could be established with her as well other 3 people who were travelling with her," he said in the three-day old post.

Orampati's father Subhash Chandra Reddy owns a Hyderabad-based firm named Max Agri Genetics Private Limited.

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.

Consul General of India in Houston D C Manjunath confirmed the identities and shared that the Consulate General of India (CGI) 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 halted when  the accident took place on Friday afternoon.

A truck travelling at a high speed failed to slow down and 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.

It took days to officially identify the victims as the bodies were charred beyond recognition. Several others sustained non-life-threatening injuries though the exact number remains unclear.

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. She was going to visit him. Darshini had just completed her Master's and had started her job in Frisco, Dallas,” Manjunath said.

“The other two, Umar Farooq Sheikh and Aryan Raghunath Orampatti, were recent graduates from the University of Texas at Dallas, with Sheikh completing his MS in Business Analytics in Spring 2023, and Orampatti pursuing his MS in Finance, set to graduate in Spring 2024. Lokesh, who was driving the vehicle, was also a working professional,” Manjunath added.

The loss is deeply felt within the Indian diaspora, especially the shocked Telugu community. With PTI inputs