Two from Andhra drown in Meramec River

ST. LOUIS: Two Indians are reported to have been drowned in Meramec River in St. Louis MO while swimming. The Missouri State Water Patrol said that two St. Louis men were swept away into relatively deep water while swimming with friends last Sunday near the Meramec Caverns and disappeared.

Authorities recovered the body of 27-year-old Sridhar Tekula on Sunday night while the body 30-year-old Suresh Merumu was recovered late Monday afternoon. Both men hailed from Andhra Pradesh. The Telugu Association as well as the Indian community are helping the families to arrange a memorial, a funeral, and a way to get their bodies back to India.
Suresh Meruma, 30, was swimming with friends at Meramec Caverns on Sunday when he and 26 year old Sridhar Tekula waded into the water. 

According to Missouri Water Patrol, which recovered the bodies from the river, Tekula and Memuru, had entered the river from an area between a cave and a camp ground near the Meramec Caverns. The bodies have been shifted to St. Louis county morgue.

Sridhar Tekula hailed from Urumadla village near Chityal, about 60 km from Hyderabad, while Suresh Merumu, though a native of Kurnool, had his family in Bengaluru. Eyewitnesses said that one of the two men had started drowning in the river and the other had then tried to rescue him. However, soon both of them drowned. It was not clear who tried to rescue whom.

Sridhar Tekula, a BITS Pilani product, completed his M. Sc in animation from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and left for the US three years ago. He was working as a software professional.

Sridhar, whose father expired when he was young, faced many hardships in life. His childhood friend, Dr Kiran, said Sridhar was brilliant in studies. The Franklin county police is investigating the case.

Suren Pathuri, president of the Telugu Association, said both victims belonged to the organization. Members gathered Monday to support Sridhar Tekula's cousin who flew in from New Jersey.

The men's death is the sixth tragedy in the Indian community in recent months. In March, four college students visiting St. Louis were killed in a car accident by an off duty sunset hills police officer. Pathuri says Sridhar was supposed to move from St. Louis to Des Moines, Iowa on Monday to start a new job and plan for his future.