Indian student from Telangana dies by drowning in US

New York: A 25-year-old Indian student studying at Trine University, died after he drowned at a waterfall at Albany in New York state, India's Consulate said, the latest incident to hit the community grappling with a string of such tragedies.

Sai Surya Avinash Gadde died on July 7 at Barberville Falls, Albany.

"We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Mr Sai Surya Avinash Gadde, a student at Trine University, who drowned on 7th July at Barbervilley Falls, Albany, NY," the mission posted on X.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to his grieving family and friends. @IndiainNewYork is extending all necessary assistance, including issuance of NOC for the transportation of Mr Gadde’s mortal remains to India,” the Consulate General of India in New York posted on X late on Monday night.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time,” it added.

Gadde’s LinkedIn profile showed he enrolled at Trine University in the US state of Indiana in the 2023-24 session. Reports said Gadde, originally from Telangana in India, had been spending the long weekend of July 4 in the waterfall area.

“One person died and another was rescued at Barberville Falls in Poestenkill on Sunday. The Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office says the person who died was a man not from the area,” a local news report said on Monday.

Multiple crews responded to the scene after two men swimming got into trouble. The man who was rescued was saved by a good Samaritan, News10.com quoted the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office as saying.

Gadde’s death marks the long list of increasing instances of Indians, especially students, dying an untimely death in the US.

Last month, in a tragic incident, 32-year-old Dasari Gopikrishna, who came to the US less than a year ago, was fatally shot during a robbery at a convenience store in Pleasant Grove, Dallas in the US state of Texas on June 21.

More than half a dozen Indian students and others have lost their lives in the US in 2024.

Meanwhile, according to an announcement earlier last week, in a new initiative to support Indian students here, the Consulate General of India in New York has developed a special platform for Indian students studying in the US.