Four medical students from India drowned in a river near St. Petersburg, Russia. Indian missions in Russia are working closely with local authorities to facilitate the return of their bodies to their families. The victims comprised two boys and two girls who were studying at Novgorod State University in Veliky Novgorod.
Jalgaon District Collector Ayush Prasad said on Thursday “a tragic incident has come to light wherein five students died by drowning, four others have lost their lives while one student was saved due to rescue operations conducted by the Russian official; search operations are still going on for three bodies;” We spoke to the embassy in Russia with whom we shared our concerns and also contacted the consulate general at St.Petersburg through the help of Ministry of External Affairs.
They have been very supportive as they have kept contact with both judicial and police so far, however the latter are not cooperating much especially when it comes to disaster management authorities. Best possible medical care is being provided to this particular survivor…The bodies will be returned back home according to international norms….”
According to local media reports, one Indian girl student who went into deep water while bathing off a beach on Volkhov River had a narrow escape from death but her four friends didn’t survive since all of them drowned during the process of saving her.
The Indian Consulate in St.Petersburg stated that “the Consulate General of India has teamed up with local administration in Veliky Novgorod and is making every possible effort towards dispatching corpses out soonest”. The bereaved families were informed accordingly…
Adequate medical including psychological treatment is being provided for the rescued female student. Among these learners were doing medicine at Veliky Novgorod State University. Sincere condolences go out…”
