iNDICA NEWS BUREAU –
A 26-year-old Indian software engineer, Siddhant Vitthal Patil, is presumed drowned after falling into Avalanche Creek in Glacier National Park, Montana, during a hiking trip with friends on July 6.
Patil, who worked for Cadence Design Systems in San Jose, California, was on vacation when the incident occurred.
According to the Glacier National Park statement, Patil was hiking on the Avalanche Lake Trail when he fell off a large rock into the creek. It remains unclear whether he slipped on a wet portion of the rock or lost his balance. Witnesses reported seeing Patil resurface briefly before being swept away by the strong current into a gorge.
Despite extensive search efforts, including aerial searches by helicopter and the use of drones, Patil’s body has not been recovered. Rangers suspect that submerged obstacles such as fallen trees or rocks may be holding the body down. The water in the gorge is described as unsearchable due to its depth and turbulent whitewater conditions.
Park officials have been monitoring the area continuously and have begun recovering personal items that have washed downstream. Ground search efforts are ongoing from the gorge to the bridge on Trail of the Cedars.
Hours before the tragic incident, Patil had contacted his mother, Priti, informing her that he had been enjoying his trip with six other Indian friends for the past three days. He mentioned plans to return to San Jose in three days.
This incident marks the second drowning tragedy involving Indian expatriates in the United States within a short span. On July 7, another tragic event unfolded when Sai Surya Avinash Gadde, an Indian student at Trine University, drowned at Barberville Falls in Albany, New York.
In a separate incident at the park, 28-year-old Raju Jha from Nepal also drowned while swimming in Lake McDonald near Sprague Creek Campground on July 8. Jha, an inexperienced swimmer, was visiting from Portland, Oregon.
