Two Indian students studying at a university in the UK tragically lost their lives in a drowning incident at a picturesque waterfall in Scotland. The incident occurred at the Linn of Tummel near Blair Atholl in Perthshire on Wednesday night, when two young men from a group of friends fell into the water and struggled to stay afloat.
Police Scotland have identified the students as Chanhakya Bolisetti and Jitendranath Karuturi who were pursuing Master's degrees in data science and engineering at Dundee University, Dundee, Scotland. Both were in their 20s and hailed from Andhra Pradesh, a southern state in India. A post-mortem examination is scheduled for Friday to determine the cause of death.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service dispatched boat teams and vessels to assist with the rescue efforts after the friends alerted emergency services. Unfortunately, despite their efforts, the bodies of the two men were found downstream and recovered from the water.
A Police Scotland spokesperson stated, "Around 7 pm on Wednesday, April 17, we received a report of two men, aged 22 and 26 years, in the water at the Linn of Tummel waterfall near Blair Atholl."
A report of the incident will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal, Scotland's prosecution service, and the death investigation body.
The Indian High Commission in London confirmed the drowning of the two students from Andhra Pradesh in the unfortunate incident. The Consulate General of India in Edinburgh has been in contact with the families and met a UK-based relative of one of the students.
The University of Dundee, where the students were studying, is providing support to the affected families and friends during this difficult time.
A university spokesperson said, "This has been a tragic accident which has shocked us all, and our thoughts are with the families and friends of the students. We have been providing support to those families and friends at this extremely difficult time."
The post-mortem examination is expected to take place on April 19, after which procedures for repatriating the bodies to India will commence.
