Indian-American man dies trying to save drowning son at California beach

Another man, who helped Jonnalagadda rescue his son, however, got out of the water on his own without any injuries, the report said.

Published on: Jun 7, 2023, 13:15:34 IST

By HT News Desk

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A devastating incident unfolded on a California beach in the United States as an Indian-American lost his life while rescuing his 13-year-old son from treacherous waters. Srinivasa Murthy Jonnalagadda, despite his lack of swimming skills, managed to save his son's life but succumbed to the powerful riptide as his family helplessly bore witness.

Srinivasa Murthy Jonnalagadda managed to rescue his son but was then dragged by the riptide into deeper waters and drowned as his family helplessly bore witness. (CAL FIRE CZU, GoFundMe)

Multiple agencies were dispatched to Panther State Beach in Santa Cruz County just after 6 pm last Monday when Jonnalagadda entered the water to rescue his minor son, California Fire said on Twitter. He was then boarded onto a California Highway Patrol helicopter and taken to the Stanford Hospital where he died later.

"He had taken his family to a nearby beach on kids’ request on Monday evening with no intentions of getting into water. While his family was enjoying the ambiance his son was exploring the shore and suddenly tragedy struck," a GoFundMe page organised for his family described the incident.

"Unexpectedly a large wave came and knocked his son down and subsequent large waves began to drag him into the ocean. Upon seeing and hearing this, Srinivasa suddenly realized that his son was struggling to get out of the water. Despite not knowing how to swim, he ran into the waters to help his son out to safety," it added.

Jonnalagadda is survived by two children and a wife.

The fundraiser informed that his funeral service will be held at Chapel of Angels in Fremont Boulevard, Fremont, from 12:30pm (local time) on June 7.

(With agency inputs)

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HT News Desk
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