Indian student drowned at Wisconsin dam as he jumped to save three friends; feet got stuck in fishing wire

Just weeks after his graduation, Indian student Anurup Reddy Koduru lost his life as he drowned at the Toledo Bend Reservoir, situated between Texas and Louisiana. Reddy was an excellent swimmer and he jumped into the water when he saw three of his friends drowning. He saved all three of them, but his feet got entangled in a fishing wire. The current pulled him into the stream and he was found 20 feet deep, lifeless. The incident took place on May 29. His brother Ashtrith Reddy Koduru set up a fundraiser seeking help for taking Reddy's body to India and for his final rituals.

"We are absolutely devastated, and our immediate priority is to transport his body from the United States back home to our parents and family in India. The cost of international repatriation, legal documentation, and transportation is incredibly high," the family said.

Reddy was a student of the University of North Texas and he graduated just a few weeks ago.

The local sheriff's office issued a statement on the death without identifying him. "Sheriff Aaron Mitchell sadly reports a 22-year-old Denton, Texas man drowned this afternoon, Friday, May 29, 2026. Initial reports indicate the man was swimming with friends at the spillway near Toledo Bend Dam when he went under. Agencies involved were South Sabine Fire District, LA (Louisiana) Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, North Sabine Fire District, Sabine River Authority, Acadian Ambulance, Life Air Rescue, and Sabine Parish Sheriff Dive Team. Sheriff Mitchell and the Sabine Parish Sheriff's Office offer our condolences to the man's family and friends," the statement read.
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