Indian student drowns while diving to save three friends in Wisconsin dam; foot caught in fishing line

Weeks after graduation, Indian student Anurup Reddy Koduru drowned in Toledo Bend Reservoir, located between Texas and Louisiana. Reddy was an excellent swimmer and when he saw three of his friends drowning, he jumped into the water. He saves three of them, but his foot gets tangled in the fishing line. The current dragged him into the stream, where he was found lifeless at a depth of 20 feet. The incident occurred on May 29. His brother Ashtrith Reddy Koduru has launched a fundraising campaign to seek help to transport Reddy’s body to India and perform the last rites.“We are absolutely devastated and our immediate priority is to transport his body from the United States to his parents and family in India. The cost of international repatriation, legal documents and transportation is very high,” the family said.Reddy is a student at the University of North Texas and graduated just a few weeks ago.The local sheriff’s office released a statement about the death but did not identify him. “Sheriff Aaron Mitchell is sad to report that this afternoon, Friday, May 29, 2026, a 22-year-old man from Denton, Texas, drowned. Preliminary reports indicate that the man was swimming with friends in the spillway near the Toledo Bend Dam when he drowned. Agencies involved include the South Sabine Fire Protection District, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, North Sabine Fire Protection District, Sabine River Authority, Acadia Ambulance, Life Air Rescue, and the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Dive Team. Sheriff Mitchell and the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office extend our condolences to the man’s family and friends,” the statement read.