Horror bus crash in India tear Aussie family of four from Clyde North, Melbourne

News.com.au

2 days ago

Two members of a family from Melbourne have been killed in a bus crash while in India, with another child left in a coma.
Dass Santiago, his wife Sandra Edward and daughters Angela and Natasha embarked on a trip to India two weeks ago, before the tragic accident on May 21.
Six people, including 45-year-old Dass, 5-year-old Natasha, Dass's brother and sister-in-law and other relatives, died from their injuries after their van crashed with a bus on a highway en route to Tamilnadu in southern India.
Sandra is currently recovering in hospital after suffering life-threatening injuries
Their eldest daughter Angela remains in a coma after undergoing two brain surgeries.
The family from Clyde North in Melbourne were visiting Dass's ailing mother and also commemorating Dass's older brother, who had died in Sydney the year before.
Friends of the family are appealing for help to bring back Sandra and Angela from the government hospital, where they say medical assistance is 'limited'.
Philomena Peters, a family friend, told 7News the news was 'absolutely devastating and shattering'.
Another family friend, Leon Vieyra said they were 'such a beautiful family'.
'A very generous family … they took a small pilgrim trip to Velankanni which is a very sacred place,' he said
'We need better medical facilities to cope with this magnitude that they're going through.'
The GoFundMe has been created by Sandra, who said in the post description that her 'heart is ripped to shreds'.
'I saw my husband die in front of me. That image is burned into my mind, a cruel, relentless torment,' the fundraiser description reads.
'Barely surviving the crash myself with multiple fractures and life-threatening injuries, I clung to the hope that my children were safe.
'Then, the most devastating news imaginable: my youngest daughter, my sweet Tash, who was turning six next month, succumbed to her injuries. How can I ever comprehend that I will never hold my little angel again?'.
Ms Edward says that she is appealing for public kindness and humanity amid the ordeal.
'I need help to bury my beloved Dass and my precious Tash,' the description continues.
'And most urgently, I need help to medically evacuate Angie and myself back to Australia. We desperately need the specialised medical care that can give us a chance at recovery and at rebuilding shattered lives.
The fundraiser has currently raised $102,670 since being created last week.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was contacted for a comment.
'The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to an Australian family in India,' the spokesperson said.
'We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time. Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.'