Telugu Students Srupen Reddy, Sreekanth, Dheeraj & Sree Harsha Killed in Road Accident in USA - 9th May 2011

Four graduate students from Missouri University of Science and Technology were killed Sunday morning (May 8, 2011 - USA Time) in a traffic accident on Missouri Highway 42 near Iberia, Mo. A fifth Missouri S&T student was seriously injured in the accident.

The accident occurred around 10:40 a.m. Sunday morning when a 1997 Toyota Camry driven by S&T student Murali Bottu, 22, traveling west on Highway 42, crossed the center line. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol's report, Bottu's vehicle turned sideways in the roadway and was struck on the passenger side by a 2000 Chevrolet Silverado driven by Darren J. Denter of Glencove, Mo.

Bottu, 22, of Chittoor, India, was critically injured and flown to University Hospitals in Columbia. He graduated Friday night with a master's degree in electrical engineering.

The following Missouri S&T students, all passengers in Bottu's vehicle, were pronounced dead at the scene:

* Srupen Reddy Velumula, 24, of Karim Nagar, India, a graduate student in information science and technology, who graduated Friday night with his master's degree in that subject.

* Sri Harsha Chitturi, 22, of Visakhapatnam, India, a graduate student in computer science.

* Srikanth Ravi, 21, of Hyderabad, India, a graduate student in manufacturing engineering.

* Dheeraj Gudlawar, 23, of Hyderabad, India, a graduate student in information science and technology.