Edinburgh: Two Indian students from Dundee University in Scotland, who went hiking, were found dead after a tragic accident at the Linn of Tummel waterfall tourist spot on Wednesday, according to local reports. The pair has been identified as Jitendranath 'Jitu' Karuturi, 26 and Chanhakya Bolisetti, 22, who were swept away at the waterfall.
According to the UK daily The Courier, both students were studying for a master's degree in data science and engineering, and were taking a picture of themselves when they fell into the water. They were hiking with two other friends when the incident occurred. The fire service sent two boat rescue units to the beauty spot and two bodies were recovered. Other media reports indicate that the two students are from Andhra Pradesh.
Karuturi and Bolisetti began their courses at the Dundee University in January 2023 and were due to finish in May. Karuturi had previous degrees from the University of Hartford, Connecticut, and had been working at the Taza Indian buffet restaurant in Dundee. "Everybody is devastated. Jitu was really popular with everybody. He was very polite and mild-mannered – you would get no drama from him," said Vaseem Salimi, who manages the City Quay restaurant.
Additionally, Bolisetti graduated from the JNTUH College of Engineering, Hyderabad, in 2022 and had been a student ambassador at Dundee since August last year. A spokesperson for the Dundee University said, "This has been a tragic accident which has shocked us all, and our thoughts are with the families and friends of the students. We have been providing support to those families and friends at this extremely difficult time."
“Around 7 pm on Wednesday, we received a report of two men, aged 22 and 26 years, in the water at the Linn of Tummel waterfall near Blair Atholl. Emergency services attended and following searches in the area, the bodies of two men were recovered from the water. Inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances, however, there would not appear to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding these deaths. A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal (public prosecutor)," said a Scotland police spokesperson.
The Indian High Commission in London has said the families of both students have been contacted by the Indian Consulate General, and a consular representative has met a student who resides in the UK, according to media reports.
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