The deceased have been identified as Bhargav Chitturi and Suresh Cherukuri. (Photo/X/@allaboutcarlow)Two Indian students were killed and two others seriously injured after a car they were travelling in hit a tree in southern Ireland’s County Carlow last Friday.
According to local reports, the accident took place in the early hours of Friday, January 31, when the vehicle Bhargav Chitturi and Suresh Cherukuri were in collided with a tree on the N80 road in Leagh, Rathoe. The Irish Times reported both men were declared dead at the scene. “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,” it said.
The Indian Embassy in Dublin expressed its condolences and assured that it is providing assistance to the families and friends of the deceased, as well as support to the injured. In a statement shared on X, the Embassy said, “The Embassy Team is in touch with the family and friends of the deceased and also extending all possible support and assistance to two Indians nationals injured in the accident”.
The Embassy Team is in touch with the family and friends of the deceased and also extending all possible support and assistance to two Indians nationals injured in the accident.
— India in Ireland (Embassy of India, Dublin) (@IndiainIreland) February 2, 2025
Local authorities, including the police, have appealed for witnesses and asked anyone with footage of the accident to come forward. “A black Audi A6 was travelling towards Carlow town when it traversed the road and hit a tree at Graiguenaspiddoge. The car is believed to have travelled from the direction of the Mount Leinster area, through Fenagh and on to Carlow,” Superintendant Anthony Farrell from Carlow Garda station was quoted as saying by The Irish Times.
The newspaper said the four people involved in the accident had gathered at Nine Stones car park on Mount Leinster in the evening before the accident. It added all four people recently finished third-level education at South East Technological University (SETU) in Carlow, and had been sharing a house in the local area.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin expressed his shock over the accident, and said, “We have to double down and work extremely hard on safety and on roads.”
The tragedy has left the Indian community in Ireland in mourning, with many coming together to support the families of the victims during this difficult time.
A fundraiser has been launched to help cover funeral expenses and support the grieving families. Organiser Venkat Vuppala shared online, “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 that claimed their lives.”
Reports said more than €25,000 was raised through 400 donations in 24 hours.
The crash took place on the first anniversary of another accident on the same stretch of road, which claimed the lives of three young friends in 2024.
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