Telugu student from Andhra Pradesh among 12 killed in Missouri plane crash

Vijayawada: A 24-year-old Telugu student from Andhra Pradesh was among 12 killed when a training aircraft carrying skydivers crashed in Missouri in the United States on Sunday.Eyewitnesses said the aircraft came down minutes after taking off from Butler memorial airport in Bates County, around 80 miles south of Kansas city, and burst into flames after crashing into a field, killing all 12 people on board, including the pilot.Sai Karthik Varma Datla, whose parents are from West Godavari but are settled in Kurnool, was among the dead, and the only Indian among them. The engineering graduate moved to the United States in 2023 to pursue a master’s degree after completing his BTech in computer science engineering in Bhimavaram. After successfully completing his master’s from the University of Central Missouri, he was working in a temporary job in the healthcare technology sector.According to his devastated family members, Karthik recently joined a skydiving training programme in Kansas, believing that acquiring specialised training and certifications could improve his employment prospects. It was during one of these training sessions that disaster struck.The single-engine aircraft took off for a skydiving training exercise when it developed a technical fault and crashed within minutes, triggering a massive ball of fire.

All 12 bodies were charred beyond recognition. Witnesses, including a group of Telugu students waiting for another training session, reportedly watched in horror as the aircraft went down.Though the accident happened on Sunday, the tragic news reached Karthik’s parents, Datla Subrahmanyam Raju and Padmavathi, only on Tuesday after US authorities nconfirmed the identities of the victims. The news has plunged the family into grief, and left Karthik’s friends devastated.Telugu associations in the United States are coordinating with Indian Embassy officials to expedite the process of sending Karthik’s mortal remains to India.