Search and rescue authorities in California on Thursday confirmed that vehicle debris and personal items recovered from a swollen Eel river belonged to an Indian family that went missing last week, CBS reported.
Sandeep Thottapilly, his wife Soumya and two children – Siddhanth and Saachi – were on a road trip in a maroon Honda Pilot from Portloand in Oregon to San Jose in Southern California when a storm made its landfall in Northern California, CBS reported. Sandeep Thottapilly was the vice president of the Union Bank of Santa Clarita.
The family was reported missing on April 8 by a relative in San Jose who had expected them to arrive two days earlier. The authorities in Mendocino County had received reports that a vehicle was seen plunging into the Eel River.
The family’s personal belongings were found after a search of more than two days. “Several items have been positively identified, by family members, as belonging to the Thottapilly family,” the Mendocino County said in a statement. “These items were of a personal nature and will not be described further at this time, but it does confirm the fact the vehicle that was seen falling into the river was that of the Thottapilly family.”
The Garberville office of the California Highway Patrol said the teams were, however, unsuccessful in locating the vehicle or its occupants.
Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj had on Wednesday had said that she was in touch with the Indian Consulate in San Francisco. “They are coordinating with the police. Rest assured. We will spare no effort,” she said on Twitter.
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