Drop Electric vocalist Padma Soundararajan and bassist Neel Singh performing earlier this year at the Rock and Roll Hotel

Drop Electric was no different from many a local band. They played the occasional festival, headlined local clubs, and were on their way to garnering a decent local following. But their story took a tragic turn last month, and the band is still trying to recover.

The family of vocalist Padma Soundararajan — her father, stepmother, two-half sisters and two half-brothers — were spending the summer in India when their vehicle collided with a truck. Her parents, sisters (both students at Clarksburg High School in Montgomery County), and one other person were killed in the accident. The brothers survived, despite one going into a coma, and Padma, 28, spent the last half of July in India, tending to funeral rites and preparing her brothers for the trip back to the U.S.

Drop Electric’s drummer and Soundararajan’s close friend, Ramtin Arablouei, accompanied her on the journey. “Over the course of the two weeks we were in India, we saw the best and worst of humanity,” Arablouei told DCist.

When asked how Soundararajan is faring, Arablouei said, “Padma, as you can imagine, is in shock. At the same time, she has really stepped up to provide the strength and nurturing her little brothers need. She is a special, special person.”

To make matters even more complicated, one brother, Sairam, is autistic and the other, Pavan, is severely disabled with cerebral palsy and requires round-the-clock attention. Despite any insurance the family had, Soundararajan faces considerable financial difficulties when it comes to providing her brothers the care they need.