2 Indian students killed, 2 seriously injured in car crash in Ireland
London, Feb 2 (PTI): Two Indian students in their 20s have been killed and two others remain in hospital with serious injuries after the car they were travelling in struck a tree in County Carlow, southern Ireland, according to the Irish police.
Cherekuri Suresh Chowdary and Chithoori Bhargav were pronounced dead at the scene of the fatal road collision early on Friday morning by the local Gardai, or police, and emergency services.
The Indian Embassy in the Irish capital of Dublin issued a condolence message on social media on Sunday.
“Embassy of India in Dublin conveys its deepest condolences on the sad demise of two Indian nationals Mr. Cherekuri Suresh Chowdary and Mr. Chithoori Bhargav in a car accident in Co. Carlow,” the embassy stated.
“The Embassy team is in touch with the family and friends of the deceased and also extending all possible support and assistance to two Indian nationals injured in the accident,” it added.
“A black Audi A6 was travelling towards Carlow town when it traversed the road and hit a tree at Graiguenaspiddoge,” said Superintendent Anthony Farrell from Carlow garda station.
“The car is believed to have travelled from the direction of the Mount Leinster area, through Fenagh and on to Carlow… All of those in the car are part of our Indian community living together in Carlow town. Our sincere sympathies are extended to the community at this time,” he said.
The two other passengers of the car, a man and a woman aged in their 20s, were taken to St. Luke’s General Hospital in Kilkenny with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
“Gardaí are aware of a number of images being posted on social media following the collision. It is not helpful to the Garda investigation but more importantly to a family and friends who are mourning the loss of a loved one. I would ask those people to take the images down immediately,” added Superintendent Farrell.
According to ‘The Irish Times’, the four friends had been sharing a house in the local area and had recently finished third-level education at South East Technological University (SETU) in Carlow. One of them is said to have been working in the local pharmaceutical company MSD. A fundraiser for expenses related to funeral costs and related expenses raised more than EURO 25,000 in less than 24 hours.
In an online post, organiser Venkat Vuppala said: “We are deeply saddened by the untimely passing of Bhargav Chitturi and Suresh Cherukuri. It is with great sorrow that we announce the tragic car accident on January 31st at Carlow, that claimed the lives of these two Indian students from SETU Carlow.
“In this challenging period, we aim to unite in support of their families to help cover funeral costs and other financial challenges they may encounter.”
Speaking in Cork, Irish Taoiseach (PM) Micheál Martin said he was “shocked” by news of the crash.
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ISRO successfully conducts second integrated air drop test for Gaganyaan mission
New Delhi (PTI): Space agency ISRO has successfully conducted the second integrated air drop test (IADT-02) for the upcoming Gaganyaan mission at the space station in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota.
The system is essential to ensure a safe recovery of the crew module -- the capsule in which astronauts sit during a human flight -- during re-entry and landing.
Union minister Jitendra Singh congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for successfully conducting the test.
"Congratulations #ISRO for the successful accomplishment of Second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) for #Gaganyaan, India's first Human Space flight scheduled next year. The second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) was successfully conducted at Satish Dhawan Space Station Sriharikota," Singh said in a post on X.
The IADT-02 follows the successful completion of the first IADT, which took place on August 24, 2025, at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
Air drop tests recreate the last leg of a spacecraft's return to Earth. An aircraft or helicopter drops the spacecraft from a height to test various systems under different scenarios.
These are the deployment of the parachute system in case the mission is aborted mid-flight, system performance when one parachute fails to open and the spacecraft's orientation and safety during splashdown etc.
In the IADT-02 test, a simulated crew module, weighing about 5.7 tonnes, was lifted by an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter to an altitude of about three kilometres and released over a designated drop zone in the sea, near the Sriharikota coast.
In a statement, the ISRO said, "Ten parachutes of four types were deployed in a precise sequence during the descent of the crew module, gradually reducing the velocity for safe touchdown. Subsequently, the simulated crew module was successfully recovered in coordination with the Indian Navy."
