The body of a 26-year-old tourist has been recovered nearly one month after they were swept away in Avalanche Creek at Glacier National Park.
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The deceased was identified as Siddhant Vitthal Patil from India. He had been living in California and went to the national park with friends and family for a vacation.
Glacier National Park officials revealed in a press release on July 10 that Patil was hiking above the gorge on Avalanche Lake Trail when he left the trail. While standing on a large rock, he fell into Avalanche Creek.
“It is unclear if he slipped on a wet portion of the rock or lost his balance. Friends and witnesses saw him go into the creek, go underwater, and resurface briefly,” the statement revealed. “Before being swept up by the current and into the gorge,” the national park’s statement reads.
It was further revealed that rangers were continuously monitoring the area. They were starting to recover personal items that had washed downstream. However, the water in the gorge is unsearchable due to depth and turbulence, creating whitewater conditions.
“Rangers flew a drone today to try and determine the location of the body but the effort was unsuccessful. Ground search efforts continue from the gorge to the bridge on Trail of the Cedars,” the statement continued.
A Glacier National Park crew was finally able to pull the body and gear from Avalanche Creek on Saturday, Aug. 3.
Along with Patil, 28-year-old Raju Jha of Nepal also drowned in the national park on July 6.
Glacier National Park Crew Was Unable to Pull the Body Out of Avalanche Creek Due to Whitewater Conditions
According to the latest update on the situation, Glacier National Park crews were unable to retrieve Patil’s body due to whitewater conditions.
“Rangers suspected that the body was being held underwater by submerged obstacles such as fallen trees or rocks,” the statement revealed. “And were limited in their ability to search the gorge for weeks due to water depth and whitewater conditions during spring/summer runoff.”
“As the water level dropped, rangers were able to probe larger portions of the gorge with long poles,” the statement continued. “But were unable to reach the deepest and most dangerous areas.”
Trail of the Cedars and Avalanche Lake Trail were temporarily closed during recovery efforts. Both trails reopened around the late afternoon. “Park officials offer their sincerest condolences to family and friends,” the national park added. “And hope that recovering the body helps bring closure to loved ones.”