Two Arizona State University (ASU) graduates drowned last week while visiting a popular natural area known as Fossil Creek.
The men were part of a group of 18 friends who hiked four miles to the lower falls on May 8, according to the Gila County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO). FOX10 Phoenix. Around 6 p.m., multiple nearby communication centers received text messages and calls to 911 about one or two men who had gone into the water and never surfaced, GCSO said in a press release. It is said that it has started.
Multiple departments responded to the scene, and witnesses told first responders that two men had gone into the water near the falls and never returned. Tonto Lim Search and Rescue Team remained at the scene overnight.
The two bodies were discovered by divers the next morning at a depth of 20 feet.
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With the rise of social media photography, many people want to visit the Fossil Creek area near Camp Verde, Arizona. (FOX10 Phoenix)
The men have been identified as 23-year-old Rakesh Reddy Rakireddy and 25-year-old Rohith Manikanta Lepala. Both graduated from the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering a few days earlier, on May 4th. They were part of the school’s 4,589 spring graduates, according to a tweet from ASU Dean and Professor Kyle Squires.
ASU’s College of Engineering did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The group did not intend to do “a lot of swimming,” but did bring several life jackets with them on the hike, said GSCO Sgt. Cole Labonte told FOX 10.
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It’s about a 4-mile hike to the lower area of Fossil Creek Falls. (FOX10 Phoenix)
Three people were reportedly standing on the peninsula when they slipped into the water. It is unknown whether they knew how to swim.
“They accidentally slipped into the water and ended up in a position that was beyond their technical level,” Labonte said. “The water was much deeper than I expected.”
The two men who drowned had just graduated from Arizona State University’s Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering. Here is a screenshot of the school’s spring convocation livestreamed on May 4, 2024. (ASU Live)
The drownings were Fossil Creek’s first two drownings this year. The area gets very busy during the summer, Bill Pitale of Tonto Rim Search and Rescue told FOX 10 by phone.
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In recent years, the popularity of social media photography has drawn more people to Fossil Creek. Areas within the Coconino National Forest require visitors to pay a fee and obtain a parking permit for a specific lot, starting April 1st and reserving it until October 1st. Camping is permitted in permitted areas during the spring and summer seasons. The closest town to Fossil Creek is Camp Verde. US Forest Service.
