HOUSTON: In a tragic car accident, at least six Indian-origin family members, including two children, were killed in the US state of Texas, officials said. The family was related to Mummidivaram YSRC MLA Ponnada Venkata Satish Kumar.
The accident occurred on Tuesday evening when a minivan and a pickup truck collided head-on near Johnson County, near Fortworth, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).
According to local media, the family, who lived in Georgia, had travelled to Texas to celebrate Christmas with their relatives. They were returning home after visiting a zoo when a pick-up truck and the family’s mini-van collided. Two youngsters in the truck were also injured. The deceased were identified as P Nageswara Rao and Seetha Mahalakshmi, the MLA’s uncle and aunt, Nishitha, a child, Naveena and Kruthik. The identity of the sixth person is yet to be ascertained. The injured person, Lokesh, is undergoing treatment at the Fort Worth Hospital.
Texas Department of Public Safety official spokesperson William Lockridge said the crash happened just after 4 pm on Highway 67 near the Johnson County line, Nemo area, in North Texas. On learning about the incident, rescue teams rushed to the spot and airlifted three of the injured to a nearby Fort Worth hospital. A case has been registered and an investigation is on. As per local media reports, driver of the truck was reportedly found to be at fault.
Speaking to reporters, MLA Ponnada Satish Kumar said, “My uncle spent Christmas at a relative’s home. On December 26, they went to the zoo in the morning and left at 4 pm (local time). Their car was struck by a truck, which was travelling in the wrong direction. We are trying to repatriate the bodies.”
On Wednesday morning, the DPS identified the driver of the minivan, 28-year-old Rushil Barri of Irving, as one of the deceased victims.
The other five in the van are from Alpharetta, Georgia: 36-year-old woman, Naveena Potabathula,64-year-old man, Nageswararao Ponnad, 60-year-old woman, Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada, 10-year-old boy, Krithik Potabathula and 9-year-old girl, Nishidha Potabathula.
The elderly were visiting their daughter Naveena and grandkids Karthik and Nishita from India, the Consulate General said.
The DPS is working with Georgia State Police to identify the victim's next-of-kin.
According to DPS investigators, the pickup truck was driving southbound on US Highway 67 near County Road1119 at around 4 pm on Tuesday, when the minivan was in the same area, heading north.
The pickup entered the northbound lane, in a no-passing area, and collided with the minivan head-on.
The occupants of the pickup truck were two 17-year-old boys who survived the crash with critical injuries and were taken to hospitals in Fort Worth.
(With inputs from PTI and ENS )