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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
4.4 magnitude quake hits northern Pakistan
Islamabad (PTI): A 4.4 magnitude earthquake jolted parts of north and northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, the second tremor to hit the country in as many days.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The earthquake that struck at 9:30 am (local time) originated at a depth of 14 kilometres with its epicentre located 11 kms northeast of Burhan, Attock, according to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre, Islamabad.
Tremors were felt in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The Saturday morning quake came less than 24 hours after a 5.9 magnitude temblor struck parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces, with tremors felt in several cities, including Peshawar and Islamabad, on Friday.
The epicentre of that quake at 6:09 pm (local time) was in Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region at a depth of 101 kilometres.
Earthquakes are common in northern Pakistan due to its location in the Himalayas where the Indian and the Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
Earlier, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit Balochistan province on February 13 but no loss to life or property was reported there too. Its epicentre was 86 kms northeast of Khuzdar town of the province.
The quake was preceded on the same day by another tremor of magnitude 3.8 that struck 75 kms southeast of Khuzdar at a depth of 33 kms.
The worst quake the country suffered was in 2005, which killed about 74,000 people.
