Andhra woman visiting son in Australia killed with daughter-in-law in car crash
Two women from Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam were killed in a road accident in Melbourne, Australia, on Thursday after the Toyota car they were travelling in collided with a Porsche. The victims were identified as 67-year-old Rama Devi and her 33-year-old daughter-in-law, Neha Bommali.
Rama Devi had travelled to Australia with her husband GT Prasad, a former Joint Secretary of the Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association (VDCA) to visit her family and spend time with her grandchildren and attend a family function.
Rama Devi and Neha were travelling with GT Prasad when the accident occurred on Palmers Road in Point Cook.
The two women reportedly died at the scene, while Prasad survived the crash.
Residents living nearby told 7NEWS that they rushed to help the victims in the Toyota, but their injuries were so severe that nothing could be done to save them.
“I heard a big, loud noise of an impact, and immediately I just ran outside and saw a Porsche colliding into an orange Toyota Corolla,” one witness said.
“As soon as I saw, the driver from the Porsche came outside and laid on his back. I called ambulance, fire and police,” the witness added.
The driver of the Porsche was identified as a 53-year-old man from Point Cook, 7NEWS reported. He remained in hospital on Thursday afternoon with minor injuries and was not under police guard. Victoria Police said he was helping them with their enquiries.
Victoria Police have registered a case and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.
The accident left the family and relatives in Visakhapatnam in shock. Telugu community organisations in Melbourne are assisting the family with the formalities to repatriate the mortal remains to India.
Varun Chandra Gunna, son of Rama Devi and husband of Neha, launched a GoFundMe campaign to help repatriate Neha and Rama Devi to India.
In his post, Varun said his world was “completely shattered in a single instant” on September 16, 2026, when Neha and Rama Devi were killed while travelling in their Toyota Corolla.
“In one devastating moment, I lost the love of my life and my mother,” he wrote, adding that his 75-year-old father, Tulsi Prasad, had lost his lifelong companion and his two children had lost their mother and grandmother.
Varun described Neha, 33, as the “light and energy” of their home. He said she was kind-hearted, vibrant and passionate about dance and had recently celebrated their daughter Vivanvi’s first birthday with the community.
Varun said he was now facing the challenge of raising his two children, 3.5-year-old Haarav and one-year-old Vivanvi, as a single father alongside his elderly father.
He appealed to the community, friends and strangers for financial support, saying he could not manage the financial and logistical burden alone.
According to his GoFundMe post, the funds would help cover the cost of transporting Neha and Rama Devi back to India so that the family could perform Hindu cremation rituals and traditional funeral rites surrounded by loved ones.
The funds would also cover emergency international travel, consulate documentation and memorial expenses for Varun and his 75-year-old father, as well as childcare and daily support for Haarav and Vivanvi.
“Neha brought so much warmth and dance into our lives, and my mother travelled across the world out of pure love for us,” Varun wrote in his appeal. He asked for support to give both women the farewell they deserve and help him stand strong for his children.
He also asked people to keep his children, father and himself in their prayers, saying every donation, share and message of support meant more to him than words could express.
The bodies are expected to reach Visakhapatnam in around 10 days, subject to the completion of post-mortem and other legal formalities.- EndsPublished By: Akshat TrivediPublished On: Sep 18, 2026 09:27 IST
