SILVER BAY — A 25-year-old Kansas man drowned while swimming in a North Shore river on the Fourth of July.
Just before 1 p.m. July 4, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said it responded to a report of a man who had been underwater for 10 minutes at Illgen Falls, a waterfall along the Baptism River in Tettegouche State Park. People often swim at the base of the 40-foot waterfall.
In a Facebook post Monday, the sheriff’s office said Hari Kiran Gowd Senagana, 25, of Overland Park, Kansas, was swimming with a group when he began to struggle.
“One party from the group saw the victim struggling in the water but was not able to help them due to the depth of the water,” the sheriff’s office said.
Responding deputies requested help from the St. Louis County Rescue Squad’s remotely operated vehicle team, which located and recovered the victim in 32 feet of water, the sheriff’s office said.
The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office preliminarily ruled the death an accidental drowning, the sheriff’s office said.
According to a GoFundMe page set up by his friends, Senagana was born and raised in the “small, underprivileged village” of Chikkala in India. He was the first in his family to study internationally, and was finishing a master’s degree at the University of Central Missouri, the GoFundMe page said.
“What was meant to be a day of nature and relaxation turned into an unimaginable tragedy,” friends wrote on GoFundMe. “A sudden surge of water at Illgen Falls swept him away. Despite the best efforts of rescue teams, Hari couldn’t make it out. His body was recovered after an intense three-hour search.”
The money from the GoFundMe page, which had raised more than $50,000 of its $65,000 goal as of Monday evening, would help cover the cost of transporting his remains to India, funeral and memorial expenses, support for his family, and repayment of his student loan.
In May 2024, the body of a 31-year-old Finland, Minnesota, man was recovered from the Baptism River. His clothes and wallet were found at the base of Illgen Falls.
In 2003, a 24-year-old Rushmore, Minnesota, man drowned while swimming at the mouth of the Baptism River.
Related Articles
Letters: It’s our duty to rediscover the hope and promise of America
When Bemidji called for help, local and statewide firefighters answered
Two Harbor lighthouse regains its ‘iconic beam’
13-year-old Minnesota boy dies after July 4 firework hits him
Funeral planned for Minnesota state trooper who drowned in South Dakota
Leave a Reply