The victims, identified as Aryan Raghunath Orampati from Hyderabad, Farooq Shaik, Lokesh Palacharla, and Darshini Vasudevan, were carpooling en route to Bentonville, Arkansas when their SUV was struck, resulting in a devastating fire that left their bodies charred.
Authorities are currently using DNA testing, along with dental and bone remains, to confirm the identities of the deceased. The accident has left the victims’ families in a state of deep distress.
According to reports, the victims had connected through a carpooling app. Orampati and his friend Shaik were returning from a visit to a cousin in Dallas, while Palacharla was on his way to reunite with his wife. Vasudevan, a postgraduate from the University of Texas, was traveling to Bentonville to visit her uncle.
The incident has caused significant delays in the identification process due to the long weekend in the United States. Vasudevan’s father had earlier reached out to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, seeking help to locate his missing daughter.
Reports indicate that the crash was triggered by a speeding truck that rear-ended the SUV, causing it to burst into flames. The tragic loss has sent shockwaves through the victims’ communities, both in the United States and India.
