Bodies of 2 men found after drowning at Fossil Creek, Gila County sheriff's officials say
On Thursday, search-and-rescue teams found the bodies of two men who drowned at Fossil Creek the day before, according to the Gila County Sheriff's Office.
The bodies of Rakesh Reddy Lakkireddy, 23, and Rohith Manikanta Repala, 25, of Tempe were recovered by divers after they drowned in the creek on Wednesday, according to a Friday news release by the sheriff's office. Emergency responders first came to the area after receiving reports at 6 p.m. Wednesday that one or two men entered the water at Fossil Creek but never resurfaced, the sheriff's office stated.
First responders arrived at the popular water destination, about 120 miles north of the Phoenix metro area, and confirmed with eyewitnesses that Lakkireddy and Repala entered the water near the falls but never came back up, the sheriff's office wrote. After securing the scene, authorities from the Tonto Rim Search and Rescue team remained on-site overnight Wednesday, according to the news release.
Madeline Nguyen is a breaking news reporter for The Republic. Reach her at Madeline.Nguyen@gannett.com or 480-619-0285. Follow her on X @madelineynguyen.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 2 Tempe men found after drowning at Fossil Creek, sheriff says
