Andhra techie dies while celebrating 26th birthday with friends at California waterfall

A software engineer from Andhra Pradesh died in an accident at a waterfall in California

Updated on: Apr 13, 2026, 06:18:29 IST

By Sanya Jain

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A software engineer from Andhra Pradesh died in an accident at a waterfall in California. Singireddy Sai Sriharikrishna was an Andhra native who was working in the United States. He died while celebrating his 26th birthday with friends at a waterfall.

The techie drowned at a waterfall in the United States (Representational image)

According to an India Today report, Sriharikrishna was celebrating his 26th birthday with friends at a waterfall in California when he got caught in a whirlpool. He was swept away by a strong current and died by drowning.

"The techie died in an accident during a visit to a waterfall in California," an official confirmed to news agency PTI.

A village in shock

Singireddy Sai Sriharikrishna was a native of Piridi village in the Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh. The incident has left his relatives and villagers in shock. His house now wears a pall of gloom.

The techie is survived by his parents, Singireddy Srinivasa Rao and Ramadevi. Mourners are paying their respects at his house, where his parents are grieving his sudden loss.

(Also read: Indian-origin techie drowns in US beach while rescuing his children)

Efforts are underway to have his mortal remains returned to India. TDP MLA R V S K K Rangarao spoke to Andhra Pradesh NRI Empowerment Minister Kondapalli Srinivas, seeking early repatriation of the body.

Deaths by drowning

In 2024, a 26-year-old Indian IT professional working in California drowned in the famous Glacier National Park in the US state of Montana. Siddhant Vitthal Patil was hiking with friends when he fell into Avalanche Creek and drowned. His body was later recovered by park rangers.

According to the National Park Service, water is the number one cause of fatalities in Glacier National Park.

(Also read: Who was Siddhant Vitthal Patil? Body of drowned Indian techie recovered in US national park after month-long search)

Last year, two men of Telugu origin drowned in the Colorado River in California. They were identified as Anoop Gankidi and Venkata Mukkaala, both 32.

The National Park Service of the United States has repeatedly warned tourists to be careful around natural water bodies, citing risks like hypothermia and fast-moving water. The government agency advises appointing a ‘water watcher’ before wading into a water body, wearing life jackets, checking the weather and water conditions, and swimming near lifeguards where they are available.

Meanwhile, World Health Organization data estimates that 3 million people have died of drowning in the last 10 years.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sanya Jain
Sanya Jain is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Digital. She has nearly a decade of experience in covering offbeat stories that speak to the everyday experience - from viral videos to human interest copies that spark conversation. Her interests stretch across business, pop culture, social media trends, entertainment and global affairs. Before joining Hindustan Times, Sanya spent two years with Moneycontrol and five years with NDTV. She holds an undergraduate degree in English literature from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and a master’s in journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai. Sanya has a sharp eye for spotting emerging trends and looking for newsworthy angles to elevate viral posts into meaningful narratives. She was the first one, for example, to cover Narayana Murthy’s remark on 70-hour work weeks that sparked a national conversation. She is equally at ease writing about business leaders as about the common man, about issues of national importance and memes that amuse social media. Sanya enjoys speaking with content creators, newsmakers and entrepreneurs to transform everyday moments into engaging, slice-of-life stories that resonate with readers. When she is not working, Sanya can be found curled up with a good book. Born and raised in Lucknow, she has spent the last several years in Delhi. She is deeply interested in animal welfare and now spends a lot of her time running after her destructive orange cat.Read More

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