Hyderabad Man Among 4 Indians Charred In US Car Crash

Four Indians, including three Telugu-speaking individuals, died in a brutal car crash involving five vehicles in Texas on August 30. The victims died when their SUV was rear-ended by a speeding truck on Highway 75 in Anna, Texas, leading to the car bursting into flames.

The deceased have been identified as Farooq Shaik, Aryan Raghunath Orampati, Lokesh Palacharla, and Darshini Vasudevan. The individuals had connected through a carpooling app and were headed to Bentonville in Arkansas on Friday.

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While Orampati and his friend Shaik were returning after visiting a family member in Dallas, Palacharla was travelling to meet his wife. Tamil Nadu’s Vasudevan, a postgraduate student from the University of Texas, was on the way to meet her uncle in Bentonville.

Orampati and his friend Shaik, both hailing from Hyderabad, resided in Bentonville, while Darshini lived in Texas’ Frisco.

Farooq Shaik’s father, Masthan Vali, a retired private employee, stated that his son had gone to the US three years ago for his MS degree. Vali said that his daughter, also living in the US, was handling the situation. Ormampati had completed his engineering degree at Coimbatore’s Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham and had graduated from the University of Texas in May.

Reportedly, traffic had slowed on Highway 75, but the speeding truck failed to react to the congestion of vehicles and rear-ended the SUV; the car burst into flames, with the occupants burning to death. Through DNA fingerprinting and teeth and bone remains, the authorities confirmed the identities of the deceased.

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A long weekend in the US, on the occasion of Labour Day, delayed the identification process. Vasudevan’s parents have appealed to Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for help in bringing her remains back to India.