Melbourne's large Indian community is tonight in disbelief with five of its members confirmed dead in the Daylesford tragedy that devastated two families from the city's west. Police are still trying to work out the cause of the crash and are yet to interview the man who was behind the wheel.
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00:00 Pratibha Sharma had led a rich life in the two decades since she migrated from India's
00:06 Punjab region.
00:08 She spent the pandemic hand-delivering meals to Melbourne's needy.
00:11 A recently admitted lawyer, the former political candidate wanted to keep helping the less
00:15 fortunate by opening her own law firm.
00:18 She had her whole life to look forward to, such a young and tragic death.
00:22 She empowered many women out there.
00:24 She's always like, you know, "Kavita, I'm always there, you know that."
00:30 The 44-year-old and her 30-year-old husband, Jatin Chugh, were weeks shy of their one-year
00:35 anniversary when they were killed by a car that careened into outdoor diners at the Royal
00:40 Dalesford Hotel on Sunday night.
00:43 Pratibha's animal-loving, Bollywood-dancing nine-year-old daughter, Anvi, later died in
00:47 hospital.
00:48 Tributes are also flowing for 38-year-old Vivek Bhatia and his 11-year-old son, Vahan,
00:54 Vivek's six-year-old son and his 36-year-old wife, Ruchi, were injured, both remain in
00:59 hospital.
01:00 We wish them a speedy recovery and it will be really hard for them and we all stand together
01:06 with them and the family.
01:08 In a community known for its close ties, the enormous loss of life is felt far and wide.
01:14 Especially so close to Diwali, which is such a big occasion for us, I think it hurts more.
01:20 We're working with the community and it's going to be a long recovery period, I think,
01:25 from this tragedy.
01:26 The driver of the vehicle, a 66-year-old man from Mount Macedon, is still in hospital,
01:31 but he's expected to face police questioning tomorrow.
01:35 His vehicle, a white SUV, is being examined for any mechanical faults.
01:40 Memorials for the two devastated families are expected in the coming weeks.
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