Two men of Telugu origin, both aged 32, tragically drowned in the Colorado River near Topock Gorge in the United States after entering the water without wearing life jackets. The victims, Anoop Gankidi of Tempe, Arizona, and Venkata Mukkaala of Milpitas, California, were part of a group of five individuals who had anchored their rented pontoon boat along the riverbank and entered the river to cool off.
According to reports from U.S. authorities, including the Mohave County Sheriff's Office, three members of the group began to struggle after slipping underwater. One individual managed to return to shallow waters, but both Gankidi and Mukkaala failed to resurface. A rescue operation was quickly launched, and another boater nearby alerted emergency services. Deputies from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department were first on the scene and deployed divers, who later recovered both men from a depth of approximately 12 feet. Despite lifesaving efforts, both were pronounced dead at the Colorado River Medical Centre in Needles, California.
The men had reportedly been underwater for nearly 20 minutes before divers were able to locate them. None of the five individuals on the boat were wearing life jackets at the time of the incident, as confirmed by a sheriff’s office spokesperson.
Anoop Gankidi, originally from Hyderabad, had moved to the U.S. several years earlier to pursue a master’s degree in computer engineering at California State University. He was employed as a computer engineer in the Phoenix area and was described by his friend Ravideja Vallepalli as a friendly, adventurous, and family-oriented individual who enjoyed hiking and outdoor travel. The nationality of Mukkaala has not been officially confirmed, though sources indicate he was also of Telugu origin.
Further investigation into the drowning is currently underway.
