Overview
- He was identified as Singireddy Sai Sriharikrishna, 26, a native of Piridi village in Vizianagaram, who died by drowning during a celebratory visit to a US water site with friends.
- Outlets citing a PTI brief say the accident happened at a waterfall in California, while a Times of India report, citing Missouri authorities, places it in the Meramec River near Sullivan, Missouri.
- Friends said he entered the water to swim and quickly got into trouble, with accounts mentioning either a whirlpool and strong currents or entanglement in underwater weeds before emergency crews recovered his body.
- He had completed a master’s degree in the US and recently started work at Elessent Clean Technologies in St. Louis, according to family and local reports.
- Local leaders in Andhra Pradesh have contacted the state NRI ministry to expedite repatriation, as relatives and villagers mourn and authorities reiterate safety warnings about fast-moving water and hidden hazards in natural pools.