The accident occurred on Friday as the four were en route to Bentonville, Arkansas, after arranging their trip through a carpooling app.
Authorities are now relying on DNA testing to confirm their identities.
Four Indians, including a woman, lost their lives in a devastating multi-vehicle collision in Texas, USA, on Friday, August 30th. The victims were on their way to Bentonville, Arkansas, after connecting through a carpooling app. Their SUV burst into flames following the crash, leaving their bodies severely charred. Authorities are now using DNA testing to confirm their identities.
The fatal accident involved at least five vehicles, with the four victims dying on the spot after a speeding truck collided with their SUV. Three others sustained injuries in the crash, according to a report from The Times of India.
The deceased have been identified as Aryan Raghunath Orampati and his friend Farooq Shaik from Hyderabad, Lokesh Palacharla from East Godavari in Andhra Pradesh, and Dharshini Vasudevan from Tamil Nadu. Orampati and Shaik were returning home after visiting a relative in Dallas. Palacharla was on his way to Bentonville to meet his wife, while Vasudevan, a recent master’s degree graduate from the University of Texas, was traveling to visit her uncle.
Farooq Shaik’s father, Mastan Vali, shared that his son had been in the U.S. for the past three years and had recently completed his M.S. degree. His daughter, who also resides in the U.S., is currently coordinating with authorities regarding Farooq’s remains.
Father’s Plea on Social Media
Hours after the accident, Dharshini Vasudevan’s father took to social media to seek help in locating his daughter. In a series of posts on platform X, he reached out to India’s Minister of External Affairs, S. Jaishankar, expressing his concern after losing contact with his daughter for nearly 12 hours. In his posts, he provided details of her travel from Frisco to Bentonville and her recent background in the U.S.
At the time of his posts, the tragic accident had not yet been reported.