Authorities in Russia have recovered bodies of all four Indians who drowned in the Volkhov river, a senior official from Maharashtra, the home state of the deceased students, said on Saturday, adding that the bodies were being flown to India.
“While two bodies were recovered within the first two days of the June 4 incident, Russian officials informed that the bodies of two other students were discovered today morning,” Jalgaon district collector Ayush Prasad said at a press conference.
“The bodies are being brought to Mumbai and will be later taken to the students’ native places in the Jalgaon district,” Prasad further stated.
The deceased have been identified as Harshal Anantrao Desale, Jishan Aspar Pinjari, Jia Firoj Pinjari, and Malik Gulamgous Mohammad Yakub. They were in a group of five students from the Yaroslav-the-Wise Novgorod State University. All were aged between 18 and 20; Jishan and Jia were siblings.
Nisha Bhupesh Sonawane, the fifth member of the group and who is also from India, survived and is currently under the care of the medical staff.
The incident took place on Tuesday when they were taking a walk along the Volhov rivers, and entered its waters.
‘Drowned even as they were on a video call’
A family member of Jishan and Jia, the two siblings from the group, recalled Jishan being on a video call with his parents when the five drowned.
“When they entered the river, Jishan made a video call to his family. His father and other family members were pleading with him and his friends to come out of the waters when a strong wave swept them away,” the family member told local media.
The university administration, meanwhile, has expressed condolences in a message to the Indian envoy to Russia.
(With PTI inputs)