Three Indian teenage siblings hailing from the Nalgonda district of Telangana died after a fire broke out at a home in Tennessee, USA. A middle-aged woman was also killed in the fire, with seven people being severely injured.

The victims were identified as Sathwika Naik (16), Suhan Naik (15), Jaya Suchith (14), and Kari Coudriet (46). The tragic incident happened in the town of Collierville. A statement released by the Coudriet’s Collierville Bible Church said that “A fire started around 11 PM at the Coudriet home. The Coudriet family was hosting, housing, and celebrating Christmas with three teenagers attending an Academy here in the States. The Naik family are Missionaries in India that our church supports.”

The teenage children were visiting the Coudriet household after the latter invited them to celebrate Christmas at their place. The Chief of Administration of the town’s fire department said that the fire broke out on Sunday night at the two-story home, and by the time the firefighters reached, the house was enveloped in fire.

The father of the deceased children, Pastor Srinivas Naik, used to live in the US but returned to India last year and settled here. However, the children stayed back for studies at the French Camp Academy in Mississippi. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.