Kids Of Indian-American Couple Who Drowned In Frozen Lake With Authorities - NDTV

Washington:

The 2 insignificant daughters of an Indian-American couple, who drowned aft they fell done the crystal portion walking connected a frozen lake, are nether the custody of the kid information section successful the US authorities of Arizona.

A time aft Christmas, 49-year-old Narayana Muddana and his wife, Haritha Muddana, and their 47-year-old person Gokul Mediseti, drowned astatine Woods Canyon Lake successful Coconino County successful the US authorities of Arizona.

They fell done the crystal portion walking connected a frozen water to get immoderate pictures.

By the clip idiosyncratic got compartment work up the elevation and archetypal responders arrived with their constricted acold h2o rescue resources, it was excessively late, ABC15.com reported.

Rescuers pulled Haritha from the water, but she was pronounced dead. The 2 men were recovered the adjacent day.

The Arizona Department of Child Safety had to beryllium called connected Monday to travel retired to Forest Lakes and instrumentality custody of the orphaned girls, ages 7 and 12.

"You ne'er get utilized to it. Especially erstwhile you're dealing with the children," said Jon Paxton with the Coconino County Sheriff's Office (CCSO).

"We wanted to marque definite they felt arsenic harmless arsenic possible. Tried to support them lukewarm and distant from the country arsenic champion we could," helium added.

On December 26, 3 families - comprising six adults and 5 kids - drove up from the Valley to bask the snowy outdoors.

"(They) Wanted to get immoderate pictures retired connected the ice," said Paxton.

During the photograph retired connected the ice, 3 persons fell done and into the minus 30-degree water.

According to a connection released by officials with CCSO, "deputies stationed astatine a substation successful the country were called to the water aft 2 men and a pistillate were walking connected the frozen water and fell done the ice." Meanwhile, the assemblage is mourning and coming unneurotic to enactment the 2 families torn isolated by an expected tragedy, the study added.

"He's a precise fun, loving guy. He's precise benignant astatine heart. Loved his kids" said Kishore Pittala, Narayana's next-door neighbour and adjacent friend.

He told ABC15 the Muddana household invited his household to Woods Canyon Lake a fewer days ago.

"On Sunday nighttime helium sent maine the link. 'Hey, we are heading retired to this place. Do you privation to join?' I said, 'No, I was already tired.'" But 2 different families joined the Muddanas who were celebrating Haritha's birthday, the study added.

"A full of 11 radical went there, and arsenic you know, 2 families got impacted," said Venkat Kommineni, President of the Arizona Telugu Association.

The parents, Narayana Rao and Haritha, fell into the icy h2o on with their person Gokul, who leaves down a woman and 1 daughter.

"I was successful shock," said Kishore. "I don't understand, did this truly hap for a moment?" Venkat told ABC15 helium was amazed by however galore radical person attempted to assistance the girls directly.

"I deliberation 5 radical reached retired to maine saying, 'Are these kids up for adoption? We would similar to instrumentality attraction of their life.'" More than USD 500,000 has been raised done a GoFundMe fundraiser for the families impacted.

"The wealth is going to spell (in) the sanction of the kids - for their education, for their future, immoderate they request to bash successful life," said Venkat.

Woods Canyon Lake is located eastbound of Payson successful the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. It is an country fashionable among hikers, anglers and different outdoor enthusiasts.

More than 1 cardinal Americans and Canadians are facing problems arsenic a monolithic wintertime tempest continues to pummel North America.

A weaponry cyclone, erstwhile atmospheric unit plummets, has brought snow, beardown winds and freezing temperatures. Nearly 250 cardinal are affected, and astatine slightest 19 deaths person been linked to the tempest that extends much than 3,200km from Quebec to Texas.