Indian Techie Siddhant Patil Drowns While Hiking With Friends in Glacier National Park
- In a separate incident in the same part, Raju Jha of Nepal, drowned while swimming in Lake McDonald.
An Indian techie from California who drowned in Glacier National Park (GNP) in Montana last weekend has been presumed dead. Siddhant Vitthal Patil, 26, who was on holiday with friends during the July 4 long weekend, was hiking above the gorge on the Avalanche Lake Trail. He “diverted from the trail and while standing on a large rock fell into Avalanche Creek,” according to a press release issued by GNP.
It is unclear if Patil “slipped on a wet portion of the rock or lost his balance,” the press release noted. However, “friends and witnesses saw him go into the creek, go underwater, and resurface briefly before being swept up by the current and into the gorge,” the press release added.
Patil’s body has still not been found despite aerial and on-foot searches over the creek and the surrounding area, but some personal items have been recovered downstream. GNP rangers say they suspect that submerged obstacles, such as a fallen tree or rocks, might be pinning the body in place underwater.
Patil had texted his mother from the park, a few hours before he drowned, the Press Trust of India reported. His maternal uncle Pritesh Chaudhari told the news agency that Patil told his mother that he has been in the park for “three days with six other Indian friends and is enjoying the trip.” He also told his mother that he was to return to San Jose in another three days, Chaudhari told the PTI.
Patil has been working with Cadence Design Systems for over a year, according to his LinkedIn profile. He completed his Master’s studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and a Bachelor of Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani.
In a separate incident, Raju Jha, 28, of Nepal, drowned while swimming in Lake McDonald on July 6, GNP said. According to friends, Jha was an inexperienced swimmer, and was “swimming roughly 30 yards out into the lake when he reportedly began to struggle, went underwater, and never resurfaced.” His body has been recovered. Jha had been living in Oregon and was vacationing with friends.
(Top photo: Siddhant Vitthal Patil, Reddit)