Russian authorities have recovered the bodies of all the four Indian students who drowned in the Volkhov River, a Maharashtra Government official said on Saturday. “While two bodies were found within the first two days of the June 4 incident, Russian officials said two more were recovered this morning,” Jalgaon district collector Ayush Prasad said.
The bodies are being flown to Mumbai and will be later taken to the students’ native places in Jalgaon district, the official said. While Harshal Anantrao Desale, Jishan Ashpak Pinjari, Jia Firoj Pinjari and Malik Gulamgous Mohammad Yakub drowned, another student Nisha Bhupesh Sonawane survived. All were aged between 18 and 20.
They were studying at Yaroslav-the-Wise Novgorod State University. The students were on a walk along the Volkhov River when they entered the waters, a university official had said. Jishan Pinjari was on a video call with his parents when he and three others drowned, a family member said.
“When they entered the Volkhov River, Jishan made a video call to his family. His father and other family members were pleading with Jishan and the others to come out of the waters when a strong wave swept them away,” the family member told local media.
Jishan Pinjari and Jia Pinjari were siblings and were from Amalner in Jalgaon district. Desale was from Bhadgaon, also in Jalgaon district.
The administration of Yaroslav-the-Wise Novgorod State University expressed condolences in a message to the Indian envoy to Russia. “Sonawane is now under the care of medical staff,” a university official said.Â