VOI World/ Astha Pandey
A joyful festive celebration of Ganesh Visarjan turned into an unimaginable tragedy for Indian students in the UK when a car crash took away lives of 2 men and left 5 seriously injured.
The incident occurred in Essex, UK at Rayleigh Spur Roundabout, when nine students, all pursuing higher education in the UK, were returning in two cars after the Visarjan festivities.
Essex Police confirmed the incident as International students from Hyderabad, India residing in Barking, East London. Deceased were Chaitanya Tarre (23) from Nadargul and Rishiteja Rapolu (21) from Boduppal. Chaitanya died at the scene, while Rishiteja later passed away in hospital.
Five other students sustained serious injuries. Two are said to be in critical condition, including one on ventilator support and another who has suffered partial paralysis.
Grief has swept through families in their hometown, they have appealed to authorities and government in India for help in bringing their sons home.
In the aftermath, the Students and Alumni Union UK issued a statement of condolences. The Indian and Telugu Community has offered to raise funds to coordinate support for the grieving families.
Meanwhile the police investigation is underway, CCTV footage is getting collected, in the early stages both the drivers (Indian students of the same group) were arrested as suspects of dangerous driving and later granted bail.
Given that all nine people of the group were international students pursuing higher education. The incident has also brought renewed focus on student safety and welfare in such countries, raising questions for both the community bodies, host country and their authorities.
This also highlights the dual realities faced by international students, chasing better career opportunities abroad while navigating risks far from their families.
