California: An Indian techie in the United States of America, who was on vacation with friends, drowned in the famous Glacier National Park in the US state of Montana. The park authorities confirmed the incident saying that the deceased was hiking above the gorge on June 6 on Avalanche Lake Trail, where he fell off a large rock into Avalanche Creek. However, it is unclear if he slipped on a wet portion of the rock or lost his balance.
The 26-year-old Indian IT professional has been identified as Siddhant Vitthal Patil, who was working in California. His friends, who were with him, saw Patil go underwater and resurface before being swept up by the current into the gorge.
Authorities Are Searching For His Body, Says Source
The park authority, in its statement, said that Siddhant Vitthal Patil’s body has not been found. Helicopters conducted aerial searches, but officials suspected the body was being held down. Patil is presumed dead.
The forest rangers suspect the body is being held down by submerged obstacles such as fallen trees or rocks. They are continuously monitoring the area and are starting to recover personal items that have washed downstream.
The water in the gorge is unsearchable due to depth and turbulence, creating whitewater conditions. Rangers flew a drone to try and determine the location of the body, but the effort was unsuccessful. Ground search efforts continue from the gorge to the bridge on Trail of the Cedars.
According to the reports, Patil, who hailed from Maharashtra, was living and working in California and was on vacation with friends. He texted his mother two hours before the tragic incident, telling her that he would be returning to San Jose, where he worked with Cadence Design Systems, in another three days.
His friends got his iPhone IMEI numbers from the phone box in his room and gave them to the Park rangers in Montana and other authorities to help in the search work, Chaudhari said. This hasn’t yielded results yet, his maternal uncle Pritesh Chaudhari, who is based in Pune, told PTI.
His mother Priti and father Vitthal, who retired from the Maharashtra government’s irrigation department in May, are in shock and not in a position to speak, Chaudhari said.
Patil went to the US in 2020 to do his MS from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He joined Cadence in 2023.
(With inputs from PTI)
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