Bodies of two Indian students recovered from Indiana lake
Siddhant Shah and Aryan Vaidya of Indiana University went missing at Lake Monroe on a boating trip
Searchers have recovered the bodies of Siddhant Shah and Aryan Vaidya, two Indian students of Indiana University who went missing at Lake Monroe on a boating trip.
Indiana Conservation Officers located and recovered the bodies of Shah, 19, and Vaidya, 20, around 11:20 am local time on April 18 in 18 feet of water in an area east of the Paynetown Marina, located roughly 10 miles southeast of the university’s campus in Bloomington, USA Today reported.
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Divers had returned to Lake Monroe on April 17 after officials said the search was hampered by 20-mph winds creating whitecap waves at the central Indiana reservoir the previous day. Shah and Vaidya were missing in the water since April 15 afternoon.
Shah and Vaidya were boating on a pontoon on April 15 when their group anchored to swim. Both men did not resurface and friends attempted to help them but were unsuccessful, the newspaper said citing the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
One of the men had been struggling in the water when others jumped in to help, said Lt Angela Goldman, a Department of Natural Resources representative.
Divers searched until 10 pm on April 15, using sonar and scuba divers, and the next day under windy conditions, Goldman said. The lake was busy with boaters on April 15, which was sunny and warm. But the next two days, cold rain and wind changed the nature of the lake, which was mostly deserted.
Read: Bodies of 2 Indian students aged 19 & 20 found in US lake (April 23, 2023)
“With 15-to-20-mph sustained winds, we’re struggling with that,” Goldman said from the lake on April 17 morning. “A lot of the technology we use that makes things more precise need better conditions. When dealing with whitecaps and wind, our sonar is not as effective.”
IU student services transported the rest of the group back to campus and were providing counseling services.
