A weekend outing turned tragic when two Indian-origin men, Anoop Gankidi of Arizona and Venkata Mukkaala of California, drowned in the Colorado River’s Topock Gorge on August 3, 2025.

A group of five rented a pontoon and went into the water to cool down when three of them started having trouble.

While one managed to reach safety, Gankidi and Mukkaala disappeared underwater. Divers found them about 20 minutes later, submerged at a depth of 12 feet. 

Despite life-saving efforts, both were pronounced dead at the hospital. Authorities confirmed no signs of intoxication.