Four Indian nationals, including two individuals from Hyderabad, are feared dead in a tragic multi-vehicle crash on US Route 75 in Anna, Texas, on Friday afternoon. The collision, which occurred near White Street around 3:30 pm, was reported by the Collin County Sheriff’s Office.
The victims have been identified as Aryan Raghunath Orampati and his friend Farooq Shaik both hailing from Hyderabad were travelling along with Lokesh Palacharla, also a Telugu, and Darshini Vasudevan from Tamil Nadu.
The four had arranged to travel together through a carpooling app, heading to Bentonville when the accident took place. Aryan, who lived in Bentonville, was returning home after visiting his cousin in Dallas, while Lokesh was on his way to Bentonville to see his wife. Darshini, a Master's graduate from the University of Texas at Arlington, was traveling to visit her uncle in Bentonville. The use of the carpooling app later assisted authorities in identifying the victims.
Aryan’s father, Subhash Chandra Reddy, who owns Max Agri Genetic Private Limited in Kukatpally, Hyderabad, expressed his devastation. The family, originally from Rayachoti, now resides in Nizampet, Hyderabad. Aryan had completed his engineering degree at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in Coimbatore. “We were in the US in May 2024 for his convocation at the University of Texas Dallas. After the ceremony, we asked him to return to India, but he wanted to work in the US for a couple more years before coming back. Fate has struck like this,” a family member of Subhash Reddy said. Farooq was also residing in Bentonville, while Darshini lived in Frisco, Texas.
The collision involved about five vehicles and was reportedly caused by a truck traveling at high speed that failed to slow down, rear-ending the SUV in which the victims were traveling. Witnesses stated that traffic had significantly slowed on the highway, causing vehicles to come to a halt. The impact was so severe that the SUV burst into flames, trapping all four inside with no chance of escape. Due to the intensity of the fire, the bodies were charred beyond recognition, making identification extremely difficult.
Authorities are now relying on DNA fingerprinting, using dental and bone fragments, to confirm the identities. “DNA fingerprinting will be done to identify the bodies, and the samples will be matched with the parents,” local authorities confirmed. The process has been delayed due to the long holiday weekend in the US, adding to the anguish of the families involved.
Darshini Vasudevan’s parents, who were in constant communication with her until shortly before the accident, are now desperately seeking assistance from India’s Union External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar. “We parents are really worried, and it’s almost data since we’ve known the status of our daughter,” her father said in a heartfelt appeal. Emergency responders, including Anna Police and fire departments, were on the scene, rerouting traffic to the access road as the highway remained closed.
