US: Body of Indian techie recovered who drowned in Montana's Glacier National Park

The body of an Indian techie who drowned in the famous Glacier National Park in the US state of Montanahas been recovered by the rangers.

Siddhant Vitthal Patil, a 26-year-old from India, fell into Avalanche Creek on July 6 when he was hiking at the park with his friends.

"After weeks of searching, rangers at Glacier National Park believe they have recovered the body of 26-year-old Siddhant Vitthal Patil from India today. Patil fell into Avalanche Creek on July 6, 2024, and drowned," the Glacier National Park officials informed on Saturday (Aug 3).

The rangers also found clothing and gear similar to what Patil was wearing at the time of the incident.

"Around 10:30 am on Saturday, a park visitor reported seeing a body in Avalanche Creek below the gorge. Rangers immediately began recovery efforts. The Flathead County coroner is working to confirm the identity through DNA or dental records."

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Treacherous terrain delayed search operation

Friends who were with Patil saw him go underwater and resurface before being swept up by the current into the gorge.

The rangers also corroborated the same chain of events, adding that submerged obstacles such as fallen trees or rocks may have limited Patil's ability to get out of the gorge.

Explaining why it took nearly a month for the search operation to finish, the rangers attributed the water depth and whitewater conditions during spring and summer runoff as the reason for the delay.

They could only investigate the large portions of the gorge after the water level had dropped. However, they still were not able to reach the deepest and most dangerous areas.

Patil's uncle, Pritesh Chaudhari, has been informed by the officials about the recovered body.

"We were informed by the US ranger officials that Siddhant's body was found. As we are grappling with this grief, we also like to thank the rangers for carrying out this search," Chaudhari was quoted as saying by news wire agency ANI.

"A special mention to Prem Bhandari who has been in constant touch with us for the last 27 days and supporting us. We have authorized Bhandari to arrange for Siddhant's remains to be sent to Pune and complete the formalities," he added, referring to Bhandari, a prominent Indian diaspora leader.

Notably, Patil was working at at Cadence Design Systems in San Jose, California at the time of the accident.

(With inputs from agencies)