Indian students are increasingly going to countries including Russia to study medicine. Some students from the Jalgaon district of Maharashtra were studying at the Yaroslav-the-Wise Novgorod State University, located near Volkov, 200 km from St. Petersburg.
Four students drowned in the Volga River, which locals say is a dangerous river.
Indian medical students are caught in a strong eddy even while standing in waist-deep water. They say that first a student got caught in the vortex and four people tried to save her. Two of them are women.
4 people tragically lost their lives except for one woman who was saved with the help of a life raft. All the deceased were between 18 and 20 years of age.
Commenting on the incident, a resident of the area said, “All of us locals know that swimming near the bridge is very dangerous. There are strong currents, gullies, rocks and whirlpools in this area.
They may not have realized this. “I did not witness the incident, but those who witnessed it say that one woman started drowning and the rest rushed to her rescue, but all were swept away by the current,” he said.
The Embassy of India in St Petersburg is said to be in touch with the university and is extending all possible assistance.
