Three Indians nationals were killed after the car they were travelling in veered off the road, crashed into a roadside tree, and caught fire near Palm Bay in Florida, the United States.
A family member of the deceased said that the accident took place on Tuesday (local time) in Brevard County. All the deceased were from Telangana.
One of the victims was identified as N Rahul (26) from Nizamabad district. While two others died on the spot, Rahul sustained injuries in the accident and was shifted to a hospital, where he later succumbed during treatment.
His father N Haribabu, who is an assistant sub-Inspector in Navipet, said the deceased included his son and his two flatmates. They were en route to their part-time workplace when the accident took place.
"We do not know who the other two flatmates are, except that they are also from Telangana. The bodies could not be immediately identified by the police," Haribabu said.
Call to mother shortly before accident
Haribabu said that he received a phone call from the Florida Police during the early hours of Wednesday. Haribabu said that Rahul completed his MS and enrolled for a PhD at the University of South Florida.
He had spoken to his mother shortly before his friends arrived to pick him up for work. "We never expected that it would be his last call,” the father said, disgruntled.
“According to information from the Florida Highway Patrol, the accident occurred at around 9.49 am (local time) near mile marker 172 in the Palm Bay area on Interstate 95 in Florida’s Brevard County,” Haribabu said.
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The Telugu Association of North America (TANA) has reportedly been coordinating with Florida and the federal authorities for the repatriation of the bodies.