Traffic collision kills 2 Indian students in the US

Two Indian students in the United States were killed on the spot in a head-on traffic collision near Lake Pleasant in Arizona, a PTI report said.

The victims, reportedly from Telangana, have been identified as 19-year-old Nivesh Mukka and 19-year-old Goutham Parsi, according to the police.

The two Indians were enrolled as international students at Arizona State University.

According to the Peoria Police, officers responded to a report of a collision around 6.18 pm on April 20 on Castle Hot Springs Road, just north of State Route 74.

The multiple-vehicle collision involved two vehicles — a white 2024 Kia Forte and a red 2022 Ford F150 — that had collided head-on.

Preliminary investigation shows that the driver of the red F150 was travelling southbound on Castle Hot Springs Road while the white Kia Forte was travelling northbound, PTI added.

Mukka and Parsi “died from their injuries on (the) scene”, while the driver of the car in which they were travelling was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries and has since been released.

The other car's driver, the sole occupant of the vehicle, was also taken to a local hospital with serious injuries and has been released, the statement said.

PTI added that the area was closed for several hours during the investigation but was reopened for normal traffic on Sunday morning, April 21.

"The cause of this collision is still being investigated," the police said.

"Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and everybody who rendered aid during this tragic incident,” the Peoria Police Department said.

The Arizona State University said the International Students and Scholars Centre is working with the dean of students, counselling services and housing representatives to identify the student groups, friends and roommates of the victims so that they can offer any needed support.