Three Indian Women From Gujarat Killed In US Car Crash

Three Indian women from Gujarat were tragically killed and another person injured in a horrific car accident in Greenville County, South Carolina. The SUV they were traveling in was reportedly speeding, veered across all lanes, ran up an embankment, and soared as much as 20 feet in the air before crashing into trees on the other side.

The victims were identified as Rekhaben Patel, Sangitaben Patel, and Manishaben Patel, all residents of Gujarat's Anand district. Chief Deputy Coroner Mike Ellis stated that the vehicle was found in pieces after the crash, indicating that it was traveling above the posted speed limit.

The vehicle was heading north on Interstate 85 when it veered off the road, crossing four lanes of traffic. The coroner's office, along with other agencies, is investigating the speed of the vehicle at the time of the crash. Several emergency response units, including the South Carolina Highway Patrol, Gannt Fire and Rescue, and multiple Greenville County EMS units, responded to the scene.

Ellis expressed the rarity and tragedy of the incident, noting that it is distressing to witness such a high-speed crash resulting in the loss of three lives, likely all from the same family.

In a separate incident, two Indian students from Telangana were killed in a head-on collision in Arizona. Nivesh Mukka, 19, and Goutham Parsi, 19, both international students at Arizona State University, lost their lives in the accident. The driver of their vehicle sustained serious injuries and was hospitalized.

Nivesh Mukka hailed from Huzurabad town in Karimnagar district, while Goutham Kumar was from Station Ghanpur in Jangaon district. Both were studying computer science engineering at the university and were returning home with friends when the fatal collision occurred.

The families of the deceased students have requested assistance from the Indian government in repatriating their bodies. These tragic incidents add to a series of deaths and attacks on Indian students in the United States, with at least eleven students killed in 2024 alone.