In an unfortunate incident, four Indian students have reportedly drowned in a river in the St. Petersburg area of Russia. The Indian consulate in St. Petersburg is currently liaising with local authorities to repatriate their mortal remains to their families in India.

The students, who were studying medicine at Veliky Novgorod State University in St. Petersburg, were involved in the incident. Ayush Prasad, the district collector of Jalgaon in Maharashtra, confirmed the occurrence. He stated that local authorities in Russia successfully rescued one student from the group, while tragically, the other four students drowned in a river.

‘They have recovered one body, and search operations are underway for the remaining three,’ he informed news agency ANI.

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‘We, with the assistance of the Ministry of External Affairs, reached out to the embassy in Russia and the Consul General in St. Petersburg. They have provided extensive support to the families, and we have been coordinating with judicial, police, and disaster management authorities. The student who survived is receiving top-notch medical care. We anticipate the bodies will be repatriated to India in accordance with international protocols,’ he added.

#WATCH | Maharashtra | Jalgaon District Collector, Ayush Prasad says, “A very unfortunate incident has come to light in which five students have drowned in a river near St.Petersburg in Russia, of which one student’s life has been saved by the authorities in Russia and four… pic.twitter.com/dxzpyp5NHe

— ANI (@ANI) June 6, 2024

The Indian consulate in St. Petersburg has also addressed the incident, indicating that it is collaborating with local authorities in Veliky Novgorod to expedite the repatriation of the students’ mortal remains to their relatives.

1/2 @indianconsspb is working together with the local authorities of Veliky Novgorod to send the mortal remains to the relatives as soon as possible. The bereaved families have been contacted and assured of all the possible help. https://t.co/QFMdv7lKhd

— India in St. Petersburg (@indianconsspb) June 7, 2024

The Indian mission has also contacted the families of the deceased, assuring them of all possible assistance, while ensuring proper medical treatment for the girl student who was rescued.

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