NRI Siddhant Vitthal Patil and Raju Jha Dies in Drowning
Incident at Glacier National Park, USA

Los Angeles/July 12, 2024
NRIpress.club/Ramesh/A.Gary Singh

Authorities have identified the two individuals who drowned in Glacier National Park on July 6, 2024, as 26-year-old Siddhant Vitthal Patil from India and 28-year-old Raju Jha from Nepal.

NRI Siddhant Vitthal, who was residing and working in California, was on vacation with friends when the incident occurred. He was hiking above the gorge on the Avalanche Lake Trail when he left the trail and stood on a large rock. Patil fell into Avalanche Creek, and it is uncertain whether he slipped on a wet part of the rock or lost his balance. Witnesses saw him go underwater and briefly resurface before being swept away by the current into the gorge.

An ALERT helicopter conducted aerial searches, and rangers searched the area, but Patil has not been found and is presumed dead. It is believed that his body is trapped by submerged obstacles such as fallen trees or rocks. Rangers are continually monitoring the area and have begun to recover personal items that have washed downstream. Due to the depth and turbulence of the water in the gorge, creating whitewater conditions, it is unsearchable. A drone was flown today to locate the body, but the effort was unsuccessful. Ground search efforts continue from the gorge to the bridge on the Trail of the Cedars.

Meanwhile, Raju Jha, a native of Nepal living in Portland, Oregon, was swimming in Lake McDonald near Sprague Creek Campground on Saturday evening. Jha, an inexperienced swimmer, was about 30 yards from the shore when he began to struggle, went underwater, and did not resurface. The Flathead County Sheriff’s dive team responded and recovered his body at approximately 8:20 pm. Jha was also vacationing with friends.

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