Tragedy struck yet another family in Gujarat when their son, in the US pursuing higher education, drowned in Lake Monroe on Saturday. The deceased’s friend, who also died in the mishap, was an Indian-origin US citizen. Both were students at Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.
Based on preliminary reports, the police briefed that the two, Aryan Vaidya (20) resident of Ohio and Siddhant Shah (19) from Ahmedabad, were on a boat ride on the Lake. Shah’s family is based out of Ahmedabad and he is the son of a well-known builder.
“We are not sure what transpired but evidence points at Aryan having stopped the boat midway and jumping into the water. Siddhant followed suit. On hearing the screams for help, their friends on deck raised an alarm and attempted to pull them out of the water. The boat was taken ashore and the local administration contacted for help. Scuba divers were called in but the search for their bodies remained inconclusive. This truly is a sad incident,” the university issued a statement.
According to Jeff Brown, Deputy, Monroe County Sheriff’s Department: “The students were on a double-decker party rental boat. Liquor has also been recovered from the boat. None of the students on board was wearing a life jacket.”
Other students were helped back onto the boat and escorted home by Indiana Student Services. After that, the students received counselling as well.
The parents of these two drowned students are being questioned, and a comprehensive investigation is being done into the incident as a whole. The two students had gone swimming, according to the investigating authorities, but nobody had seen them.
According to the official, it is challenging to travel in the water because of the poor weather conditions surrounding the lake, which include wind, cold, and rain.
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