London: A tragic event has claimed the lives of two Indian students who were enrolled in a university in the UK, after they succumbed to drowning at a picturesque waterfall in Scotland.
Police Scotland has withheld the identities of the young men from Andhra Pradesh, both in their twenties, pending a post-mortem examination scheduled for Friday. The incident occurred at the Linn of Tummel near Blair Atholl in Perthshire on Wednesday night. The pair, part of a larger group of friends on an excursion, fell into the water and faced difficulties.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service deployed boat teams and watercraft to aid in the rescue after their companions alerted emergency responders. Around 7 pm on Wednesday, April 17, reports were received about two men, aged 22 and 26, in the water at the Linn of Tummel waterfall near Blair Atholl, according to a statement from Police Scotland.
Emergency crews responded, and subsequent searches led to the recovery of the two men’s bodies from the water. Investigations are ongoing to piece together the events, but there appears to be no indication of foul play in these deaths, according to the spokesperson.
The police stated that an incident report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal, Scotland’s prosecutorial and death investigation authority. The Indian High Commission in London confirmed the two students from Andhra Pradesh had “tragically drowned” and their remains were discovered a short distance downstream.
The Consulate General of India in Edinburgh has been in touch with the students’ families, and a consular official has met a relative residing in the UK. The University of Dundee pledged its support. The post-mortem is scheduled for April 19, after which arrangements for repatriating the bodies to India will proceed, according to a High Commission statement.
A representative from the University of Dundee stated: “This unfortunate accident has left us all deeply saddened, and our hearts go out to the families and friends of the students. We are offering support to those affected during this challenging period.”
