Pune techie falls into creek at US national park, feared drowned

PUNE: A 26-year-old techie from Pune, Siddhant Vitthal Patil, is feared drowned after he fell into a creek and got washed away into a gorge while hiking with friends on Avalanche Lake Trail of Glacier National Park in Montana, United States, on July 6.

An Indian Embassy source in Seattle said 10 rescue professionals and troopers conducted a search and rescue operation over two days with drones and helicopters but could not locate Patil. External affairs minister S Jaishankar - acting on an appeal from Maharashtra deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis - has sought an update from the embassy.

Patil had walked away from the trail to stand on a large rock, from where he fell into Avalanche Creek. It is unclear if he slipped on a wet portion of the rock or lost balance, the park said in a statement Wednesday.