Two women from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh died in a road accident in Melbourne, Australia, on Thursday after the Toyota they were travelling in crashed into 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 meet family members, spend time with her grandchildren and attend a family event.
Rama Devi and Neha were travelling with Prasad when the crash took place on Palmers Road in Point Cook.
The two women reportedly died at the scene, while Prasad survived the accident.
Nearby residents told 7NEWS that they immediately rushed to assist those inside the Toyota, but the injuries suffered by the two women were too severe for them to be saved.
“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,” a witness said.
The witness added that after seeing the crash, he found the Porsche driver outside and lying on his back before calling an ambulance, fire services and police.
The Porsche was being driven by a 53-year-old Point Cook resident, 7NEWS reported. He was taken to hospital with minor injuries and remained there on Thursday afternoon. He was not being guarded by police and was assisting Victoria Police with their investigation.
Victoria Police have registered a case and are investigating the circumstances that led to the collision.
The incident has left relatives and family members in Visakhapatnam devastated. Telugu community organisations in Melbourne are helping the family complete the formalities required to bring the women’s mortal remains back to India.
Varun Chandra Gunna, Rama Devi’s son and Neha’s husband, has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for repatriating the bodies of Neha and Rama Devi to India.
In his appeal, Varun said his life was “completely shattered in a single instant” on September 16, 2026, when his wife Neha and mother Rama Devi died while travelling in their Toyota Corolla.
He wrote that he had lost both “the love of my life and my mother” in the tragedy. He also said his 75-year-old father, Tulsi Prasad, had lost his lifelong partner, while his two children had lost their mother and grandmother.
Varun described 33-year-old Neha as the “light and energy” of their household. He said she was compassionate, full of life and passionate about dance, and had recently celebrated the first birthday of their daughter, Vivanvi, with the community.
Varun said he was now faced with raising his two children, 3.5-year-old Haarav and one-year-old Vivanvi, as a single father while also supporting his elderly father.
He appealed to relatives, members of the community and strangers for financial assistance, saying he was unable to handle the financial and logistical responsibilities on his own.
According to the GoFundMe appeal, the money raised will be used to bring Neha and Rama Devi’s remains back to India, allowing the family to carry out Hindu cremation ceremonies and traditional funeral rituals in the presence of loved ones.
The funds will also be used for emergency international travel, consular paperwork and memorial-related costs for Varun and his 75-year-old father, along with childcare and day-to-day expenses 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, urging people to help ensure that both women receive the farewell they deserve while helping him remain strong for his children.
He also requested prayers for himself, his children and his father, saying that every contribution, message and share of the appeal was deeply meaningful to the family.
The bodies are expected to arrive in Visakhapatnam in approximately 10 days, depending on the completion of post-mortem examinations and other required legal procedures.
