WEST GLACIER, Mont. — Glacier National Park rangers believe they have found the body of a man who drowned over the Fourth of July weekend, park officials said.
Siddhant Vitthal Patil, 26, of India fell into Avalanche Creek on July 6, but the creek was flowing too fast to recover his body.
A visitor saw a body in the creek Saturday morning and park rangers found it, park officials said. Clothing and gear similar to what friends said Patil was wearing were also found. The body was taken to the Flathead County coroner’s office for identification through DNA or dental records.
Patil was hiking with friends above a gorge on Avalanche Lake Trail when he fell into the creek. It’s unclear whether he slipped on a wet rock or lost his balance, park officials said.
Patil, who lived and worked in California, was one of two men who drowned while vacationing in the park on on July 6th.
Raju Jha, 28, of Nepal, drowned in Lake McDonald. He was an inexperienced swimmer. His body was found later that day in 35 to 40 feet (11 to 12 meters) of water, park officials said.
Jha lived in Portland, Oregon.