Woman, 3 Daughters Dead After Van Enters Pond

CARMEL, Ind. -- Icy road conditions are believed to have been a factor in the deaths of a woman and her three daughters after their van entered a retention pond near Carmel on Saturday night, police said.

A van driven by Batul Abbas, 47, of Hamilton County, apparently slid off 141st Street and entered a pond near 141st and Towne Road at about 9:30 p.m., police said.

Abbas called 911, and the van was submerged when emergency personnel arrived about six minutes later, Carmel police Lt. Jeff Horner said.

Rescuers brought Abbas and her three daughters -- Azmeh, 8; Shaail, 14; and Shazreh, 18 -- out of the vehicle. All four were taken to hospitals in critical condition but later died, according to Carmel police.

The first firefighters at the scene went into the water without diving suits and broke the van's windows, clearing the way for divers to take out the van's four occupants, Horner said.

Freezing rain was falling in much of central Indiana when the van entered the pond. Police said they believe icy conditions were a factor in the incident.

Police said they weren't sure what kept the four inside the van.

"That's a question on all of our minds. Nobody knows," Horner said. "I'm sure there was quite a bit of panic and fear. She was in the car with her three daughters and it's in the water."

According to an address listed on a coroner's report for Batul Abbas, she lived not far from the pond. The address is listed as being in Westfield, though it is not within town limits and is closer to Carmel.

Batul Abbas and her daughters were traveling home from a gathering in Indianapolis for a family friend whose brother had died, said Farwa Abid, a family friend.

Batul Abbas and her husband immigrated to the United States from Pakistan in 1995 and lived in Houston before moving to the Indianapolis area six years ago, Abid said.

The coroner's report listed Batul Abbas' cause of death as "hypothermia/drowning."

Abbas' husband found out about the deaths when he returned from a trip, 6News' Cheryl Jackson reported.

A man who watched the rescue attempts, Carlos Castaneda, said the scene was "heart-wrenching."

"We started to see (the divers) pull people out, and (Abbas and her daughters) weren't moving. They weren't responding or anything," Castaneda said.

Two Daughters Attended Carmel Clay Schools

Two of Abbas' daughters enrolled in Carmel Clay schools in March. This school year, Shaail Abbas was a freshman at Carmel High School and Azmeh Abbas was a third-grader at College Wood Elementary.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Abbas family and their friends and classmates of Shaail and Azmeh," Carmel Clay Superintendent Barbara Underwood said in the news release. "As a school district, we immediately have made resources available for the friends and teachers of Shaail and Azmeh."

School counselors will attend Shaail's classes Monday and Tuesday and also meet with students who rode her school bus, Carmel High School Principal John Williams said in the release.

At Azmeh's elementary school, Principal Jon Teuscher and a student services coordinator told the school's third-graders about the deaths Monday morning. The student services coordinator, an assistant principal and professionals from other Carmel Clay elementary schools will be at the school to provide assistance, the release said.