Two Men Drown In Colorado River

India-West. News Desk

 MILPITAS, CA – Two men of Telugu origin, both 32, drowned in the Colorado River while on a group outing, according to US authorities. The victims were identified as Anoop Gankidi and Venkata Mukkaala.

Gankidi was a computer engineer in the Phoenix, Arizona area,and Venkata Mukkaala was from Milpitas, California.

The incident occurred after a group of five people anchored their rented boat near Topock Gorge and entered the water to cool off. According to the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office, three people began to struggle in the water. While one managed to return to a shallow area, Gankidi and Mukkaala did not resurface.

None of the people in the group was wearing life jackets, said the sheriff’s office.

Deputies from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department were the first to arrive, deploying a diver who recovered one of the victims. Authorities stated that the men were underwater for approximately 20 minutes before divers arrived and located them at a depth of about 12 feet.

Both men were taken to the Colorado River Medical Center in Needles, California, where they were pronounced dead despite lifesaving efforts.