3 women from India killed in car crash

Three women from India died after a speeding SUV hurtled 20 feet before crashing in South Carolina, authorities said.

Another woman, the driver, was hospitalized at Greenville Memorial.

The women from Gujarat, India crashed Friday at noon along Interstate 85 in Greenville County, South Carolina.

According to Chief Deputy Coroner Mike Ellis, the SUV was traveling northbound on I-85, a major highway in the southeastern United States. The car crossed all lanes, climbed an embankment, and flew 20 feet over a bridge. It eventually crashed into trees, the Hindustan Times reports. No other vehicles were involved.

“It is obvious they were traveling above the speed limit,” Ellis said.

Authorities identified the victims in the accident on Saturday: Rekhaben Patel, Sangitaben Patel, and Manishaben Patel. The cause of their death was deemed blunt force trauma, WYFF4 reports. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

The three women were all from Gujarat’s Anand district, but were currently residing in the state of Georgia.

“Very seldom do you see a vehicle that leaves the roadway at such a high rate of speed that it jumps 4-6 lanes of traffic and lands in the trees approximately 20 feet,” Ellis said. “When you got family, probably relatives, three deceased, it is nothing that you want to ever see.”

What caused the crash is still under investigation.

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