Pune: Rangers at Glacier National Park in Montana USA recovered the body of Siddhant Vittal Patil (26), a resident of Pune who fell into Avalanche Creek in the park on July 6 and drowned. Patil, a techie residing in California in the US, was hiking with seven friends when he diverted from the trail. While standing on a large rock, he fell into Avalanche Creek.
It is still unclear if he slipped on a wet portion of the rock or lost his balance. A single child to his parents, Patil moved to the US in 2021 to pursue a master’s degree in science. He was employed by a software company in 2023.
Patil lived in the Vishalnagar area of Pimple Nilakh for his schooling, after which he studied at BITS Pilani, Goa. “Clothing and gear similar to what, according to his friends, Patil was wearing at the time of the incident were also recovered. A park visitor reported seeing a body in Avalanche Creek below the gorge.
Rangers immediately began recovery efforts,” read the press release by Glacier National Park. The rangers suspected that the body was being held underwater by submerged obstacles, such as fallen trees or rocks, and were limited in their ability to search the gorge for weeks because of the water depth and whitewater conditions during spring and summer runoff. As the water level dropped, the rangers were able to probe larger portions of the gorge with long poles.
However, they were unable to reach the deepest and most dangerous areas. “Over the past four weeks, efforts cont.