Tragic Incident In Volkhov River: Bodies Of Four Indian Students Recovered In Russia

Authorities in Russia have successfully recovered the bodies of all four Indian students who tragically drowned in the Volkhov River, as confirmed by a senior official from Maharashtra, the student's home state, on Saturday.

The official also indicated that arrangements are being made to fly the bodies back to India.

Russia: Bodies Of Four Indian Students Recovered

According to the Russian media, a female Indian student, who had waded into the river from a beach, encountered difficulties. In a bid to rescue her, four of her companions entered the water, and tragically, three of them drowned in the process,as reported by PTI.

"The bodies of two students were recovered within the first two days following the incident on June 4, and Russian authorities have now informed us that the bodies of the remaining two students were found this morning," Ayush Prasad, the district collector of Jalgaon, stated during a press conference.

Arrangements are currently being made for the transportation of the bodies to Mumbai, from where they will be taken to the students' hometowns in the Jalgaon district, as further elaborated by Prasad, as per PTI reports.

The victims have been identified as Harshal Anantrao Desale, Jishan Aspar Pinjari, Jia Firoj Pinjari, and Malik Gulamgous Mohammad Yakub, all of whom were students at Yaroslav-the-Wise Novgorod State University. They were aged between 18 and 20 years, and it was noted that Jishan and Jia were siblings.

Nisha Bhupesh Sonawane, the fifth member of the group, survived the incident and is currently under medical care. The incident occurred on Tuesday while the group was walking along the Volkhov River and decided to enter its waters.

A family member of the siblings Jishan and Jia recounted that Jishan had been on a video call with his parents at the time of the incident. The family was reportedly pleading with him and his friends to exit the river when a strong wave swept them away. The university administration has extended its condolences to the Indian envoy in Russia, expressing sorrow over the tragic loss of their students.