A dream pilgrimage to India has turned into a nightmare for a Melbourne family, with two members killed and a young girl left in a coma following a devastating crash in southern India.
Dass Santiago, 45, and his five-year-old daughter Natasha died after the family’s van collided with a bus on a highway en route to Tamil Nadu on 21 May. Also killed in the tragic crash were Dass’s brother, sister-in-law, and other relatives.
The family from Clyde North had travelled to India to visit Dass’s ailing mother and commemorate the death of his older brother, who passed away in Sydney last year.
Sandra Edward, Dass’s wife, is currently recovering in a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. Their eldest daughter, Angela, remains in a coma after undergoing two brain surgeries.
“Absolutely devastating and shattering,” said family friend Philomena Peters, speaking to 7News.
Leon Vieyra, another close friend, described the family as “very generous” and said their visit included a pilgrimage to the sacred site of Velankanni.
“They’re such a beautiful family. We need better medical facilities to cope with this magnitude they’re going through,” he said.
Sandra, despite her injuries, has launched a GoFundMe campaign from her hospital bed, pleading for help to repatriate herself and her daughter to Australia.
“My heart is ripped to shreds,” she wrote in the fundraiser description. “I saw my husband die in front of me. That image is burned into my mind, a cruel, relentless torment.”
“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?”
Sandra is now appealing to the public for assistance to bury her husband and daughter, and to medically evacuate herself and Angela back to Australia for urgent specialised care.
The fundraiser has raised more than $102,000 since its launch last week.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it is providing consular assistance.
“We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time,” a spokesperson said.
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