Bodies of two missing Indian students recovered from US lake

New York, April 23

Bodies of two Indiana University students from India who went missing at a lake last week, have been recovered after a massive search that was hampered by severe weather conditions, officials said.

Siddhant Shah, 19, and Aryan Vaidya, 20, went swimming at Monroe Lake, roughly 64 miles southwest of downtown Indianapolis, with a group of friends on April 15 but didn't resurface, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources said in a news release.

The bodies were located and recovered by search crews on April 18 east of the Paynetown Marina in 18 feet of water.

The two were boating on a pontoon when their group anchored to swim in the lake, which is 10,750 acres and 35-40 feet deep.

"When both men did not resurface, friends tried to help but were unsuccessful," the release said.

One of the men had been struggling in the water when others jumped in to help, said Lt. Angela Goldman, a Department of Natural Resources representative, told USA Today.

Rescuers started searching the lake using sonar and scuba divers, but were forced to pause operations on the first day due to windy weather conditions.

"With 15-to-20-mph sustained winds, we're struggling with that," Goldmsaid told USA Today.

Indiana University student services transported the rest of the group back to campus where they were provided counseling services.

--IANS