In a devastating accident in Texas, four Indian nationals, including a woman, lost their lives in a crash involving five vehicles. The victims, who had connected through a carpooling app, were on their way to Bentonville, Arkansas, on Friday when the tragedy occurred. The accident caused a fire in the SUV they were traveling in, and their bodies were charred beyond recognition. Authorities are now relying on DNA testing to identify the victims due to the extent of the fire damage.
The four victims have been identified as Aryan Raghunath Orampati, Farooq Shaik, Lokesh Palacharla, and Dharshini Vasudevan. Orampati and his friend Shaik were returning from Dallas after visiting a cousin. Palacharla, who was also in the car, had been traveling to Bentonville to reunite with his wife. Dharshini Vasudevan, a recent graduate with a Master’s degree from the University of Texas, was headed to Bentonville to visit her uncle. The four had used a carpooling app, which later helped authorities link their identities.
In the days following the crash, Dharshini Vasudevan’s father, desperate for answers, had taken to Twitter to seek help in locating his daughter. He tagged External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in a tweet, pleading for assistance. “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,” he wrote. He explained that Dharshini had been in regular contact during her carpool journey until around 4 p.m. that day. After that, there was no further communication.
The tragedy has sent shockwaves through the families of the victims, many of whom had worked hard to support their children’s educational and professional endeavors in the United States. Orampati’s father, Subhash Chandra Reddy, runs a company called Max Agri Genetics Private Limited in Hyderabad. Aryan, his son, completed his engineering degree from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in Coimbatore. After earning his degree, he pursued higher education in the United States at the University of Texas. Aryan’s family had recently visited him for his convocation in May, where they celebrated his achievements. His family encouraged him to return to India after the ceremony, but Aryan expressed his desire to work in the U.S. for two more years. A relative shared the family’s grief, saying, “His parents were in the US in May for his convocation at the University of Texas. After the convocation, they asked him to return to India, but he said he wanted to work in the US for two more years. Fate has struck like this.”
Farooq Shaik, another victim of the crash, was also from Hyderabad and had recently finished his Master’s degree. His father, Masthan Vali, explained that Farooq had been living in the U.S. for three years to complete his studies. “He went to the US to complete his MS degree. He finished it recently,” Vali said, deeply saddened by the loss of his son. He further mentioned that Farooq’s sister, who also lives in the U.S., has been handling the situation on behalf of the family. The family resides in BHEL Hyderabad, where Mr. Vali is a retired private employee.
The only woman among the victims, Dharshini Vasudevan, was a native of Tamil Nadu but had been living in Frisco, Texas. After completing her Master’s degree at the University of Texas, Dharshini had been working in the U.S. She was reportedly traveling to Bentonville to visit her uncle when the crash occurred. Lokesh Palacharla, who was also in the SUV, had been on his way to meet his wife in Bentonville.
Initial reports from the scene indicate that a speeding truck rear-ended the SUV, causing the vehicle to catch fire. All four occupants were unable to escape and perished in the flames. The authorities are relying on DNA fingerprinting as well as dental and bone remains to officially confirm the identities of the victims. A local official explained, “DNA fingerprinting will be done to identify the bodies, and the samples will be matched with the parents.”
The identification process has been delayed due to a long holiday weekend in the U.S., which has further prolonged the anguish for the families waiting to learn more. While the authorities work to confirm the identities, the families of the victims are left grappling with their unimaginable loss.
The tragic incident highlights the risks associated with road travel, particularly during busy holiday weekends when accidents tend to increase. As the investigation continues, there is hope that DNA testing will soon bring definitive answers to the victims’ families, though it cannot undo the heartbreak they are currently enduring. The close connections that these young individuals shared through their academic and personal journeys, only to meet such a tragic fate together, have left a lasting impact on their loved ones, both in the U.S. and in India.
For the families of these four individuals, who had ventured far from home in search of education and career opportunities, the crash is a cruel reminder of how quickly life can change. The victims had used a carpooling app, likely believing it was a convenient and efficient way to travel between states. Instead, their lives were cut short in a fiery crash that authorities are still investigating.
As DNA testing progresses, further details will emerge, but for now, the families of Aryan Raghunath Orampati, Farooq Shaik, Lokesh Palacharla, and Dharshini Vasudevan can only wait, struggling to come to terms with their loss. The tragedy has left them and their communities reeling, with many expressing grief over the young lives lost in such a horrific manner.
For now, the priority remains on confirming the victims’ identities, allowing their families the chance to bring their loved ones home and find some semblance of closure.
