Kishore Divan, an Indian-origin doctor, was among four members of a family to have died in a car crash in the United States over the weekend. The elderly man was 89 years old, according to a preliminary missing persons poster circulating online Saturday (US time).
Local US reports first broke the news of the Indian-origin family having gone missing while they were travelling to Pittsburgh and West Virginia from Buffalo. As per the missing people poster, Dr Kishore Divan was accompanied by Mrs Asha Divan (85), Mr Shailesh Divan (86) and Mrs Gita Divan (84).
The senior citizens were initially onboard a 2009 lime green Toyota Camry with New York license plate EKW2611, as per Marshall County Sheriff Mike Dougherty. He further shared that the family of four was last heard from on July 31, 2025, according to Fox-affiliate WTOV9‘s reporting. Subsequent updates from the sheriff’s office revealed that the car in question was found “off a steep embankment along Big Wheeling Creek Road” around 9:30 pm on August 2.
Both couples riding in the car were discovered dead after an accident, as also shared by The Aware Foundation Inc’s Facebook update citing Sheriff Dougherty.
What do we know about Dr Kishore Divan?
According to Dr Divan’s professional profiles on WebMD, Health.USNews, and Doximity, he was an anesthesiologist in Williamsville, New York. Dr Kishore is believed to have been affiliated with Kaleida Health-Buffalo General Medical Center.
He was a ‘Class of 1962’ alumni of Kasturba Medical College Manipal. Divan completed his medical residency from the University at Buffalo in 1972. His reported Facebook profile says that he finished his schooling from Bharda New High School in Mumbai.
Indian-origin doctor was a community leader: Tribute shared online
The Indian-origin doctor living in the US seemed to have been a much-loved member of the Hindu community in his locality. A fellow Indian-origin woman, Uma Maheswari Krishnan, took to her Facebook page to pen a touching tribute to Divan.
“With a shattered heat & deepest sadness inform the demise of Dr Kishore Divan & Asha aunty… who met with a car accident in West Virginia. They were found after four days of missing en route Buffalo to west Virginia,” she wrote.
Sharing how “greatly” Dr Divan would be missed, she likened him to a father figure. “Buffalo community will miss this super charged Hero (a physician, philanthropist & community leader) & his sweet spouse,” Krishnan added. “Together they supported this community with their relentless service, adding value to people & organisations.”
Sending her heartfelt condolences to Dr Divan’s sons and family facing the “disheartening situation,” the woman also tagged two Facebook profiles with the username ‘Kishore Divan.’
Indian family was en route to Hindu temple
The Indian-origin individuals were reportedly headed to Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold in Marshall County, West Virginia, which is a Hindu temple located at 3759 McCreary’s Ridge Rd, Moundsville. CNN once called the memorial to the ISKCON founder Srila Prabhupada “one of the eight religious wonders to visit in the USA.”
Police divulged that the four people had paid for a night stay at Palace of Gold – scheduled for Tuesday – beforehand. However, they never checked in. Moreover, Marshall County officials disclosed that their phones had gone unanswered since Tuesday.
The Divan family was last pictured at a Burger King stop in Erie, Pennsylvania. Surveillance footage and a final credit card transaction traced their tracks back to the restaurant before they were found dead in West Virginia.
More details about the Indian-origin victims of the US car crash are awaited.