4 Indians burnt to death in Texas vehicle collision: DNA testing ongoing

A speeding truck rear-ended the victims' SUV, causing it to burst into flames and resulting in the deaths of all the occupants

Four Indians, including a woman, tragically lost their lives in a massive crash involving five vehicles in Texas. The victims had arranged their trip via a carpooling app and were en route to Bentonville, Arkansas, on Friday when the accident occurred.

The vehicle collision caused a fire in the SUV they were travelling in, resulting in their bodies being severely burned. Authorities are using DNA testing to verify their identities.

The deceased have been identified as Aryan Raghunath Orampati, Farooq Shaik, Lokesh Palacharla, and Dharshini Vasudevan. Orampati and Shaik were returning from a visit to Orampati’s cousin in Dallas. Palacharla was heading to Bentonville to see his wife, while Vasudevan, who had recently completed her Master’s degree at the University of Texas and was working in the US, was travelling to visit her uncle in Bentonville. Their carpooling arrangement facilitated their identification by the authorities.

Last week, Dharshini Vasudevan’s father, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), tagged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar seeking assistance in locating his daughter.

Subhash Chandra Reddy, the father of Orampati, is the owner of Max Agri Genetics Private Limited, a company based in Hyderabad. Aryan completed his engineering studies at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in Coimbatore.

Orampati's friend Shaik, originally from Hyderabad, also resided in Bentonville. Meanwhile, Dharshini, hailing from Tamil Nadu, was based in Frisco, Texas.

Farooq Shaik's father, Masthan Vali, said that he travelled to the US three years ago. "He went to the US to complete his MS degree. He finished it recently," the report quoted him as saying.

Vali, a retired private sector worker, resides with his family in BHEL Hyderabad. His daughter, who lives in the US, is managing the situation from there.

Reports indicate that a speeding truck collided with the rear of the SUV carrying the victims, causing it to catch fire. All the occupants were burnt to death. Authorities are using DNA analysis, along with dental and bone remains, to identify the victims.

A local authority official said that DNA analysis will be conducted to identify the bodies, with samples being compared to those of the parents.

The long weekend in the US has further delayed the identification process, extending the distress for the families of the victims.

(With agency inputs)