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Hyderabad-born engineer, another Indian-origin man drown in Colorado River

Hyderabad-born engineer, another Indian-origin man drown in Colorado River

India Today07-08-2025
Two 32-year-old men of Telugu origin, including an engineer, drowned near Topock Gorge in the Colorado River after anchoring their rented pontoon boat and entering the water to cool off, according to US authorities. Neither wore life jackets. The men were underwater for about 20 minutes before divers recovered their bodies.The drowning victims were identified by the Mohave County Sheriff's Office as Anoop Gankidi of Tempe town and Venkata Mukkaala of Milpitas city, California, a news portal, azcentral.com, reported.Gankidi, who was originally from Hyderabad, went to the US several years ago to earn a master's degree in computer engineering at California State University, said his friend Ravideja Vallepalli, according to the report.The nationality of the other individual could not be confirmed; however, reports suggest he was of Telugu origin.Gankidi was working as a computer engineer in the Phoenix area, according to his friend quoted in the report.The men were part of a group of five people who entered the water to cool off on Sunday, after they anchored the rented boat along the riverbank, azcentral.com reported, citing the Mohave County Sheriff's Office.Three people slipped underwater and began to struggle, the sheriff's office was quoted as saying in the report. One of them was able to get back to the shallow area. However, Gankidi and Mukkaala did not resurface, the sheriff's office said.No one on board wore a life jacket, Anita Mortensen, spokesperson for the Mohave County Sheriff's Office, said.Another person on a different boat had flagged down another vessel and reported that two men had gone underwater and had not resurfaced near a beach area in the Topock Gorge.Deputies from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department were first to arrive and deployed a diver, who recovered one of the victims, California-based news website Victor Valley News Group reported.Lifesaving measures were performed on both individuals, who were taken to the Colorado River Medical Centre in nearby Needles, California, where they were pronounced dead, according to the sheriff's office.According to officials, the men were underwater for around 20 minutes before divers arrived and found them at a depth of about 12 feet.GANKIDI WAS FOND OF HIKING AND OUTDOOR ADVENTURESGankidi enjoyed spending time hiking and engaging in other outdoor activities, according to his friend Vallepalli."He was definitely a very friendly guy. He was always into travelling and making fun, and he was a very family-oriented person," azcentral.com quoted Vallepalli as saying.The further investigation into the drowning incident is still ongoing.advertisement- EndsMust Watch
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