Bodies of two missing college students recovered from Indiana lake, officials say

UPDATE: Search crews found the bodies of two missing Indiana University students in Monroe Lake, officials said.

Siddhant Shah, 19, and Aryan Vaidya, 20, went swimming at the lake with a group of friends on April 15, but they didn’t resurface, officials said. Authorities began searching for the men using sonar and dive teams.

Crews located and recovered the bodies of Shah and Vaidya at 11:23 a.m. on April 18, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources said in a news release. The bodies were found east of the Paynetown Marina in 18 feet of water.

Original story continues below:

Crews are searching for two missing college students who went for a swim at an Indiana lake but never resurfaced, state officials say.

Indiana University students Siddhant Shah, 19, and Aryan Vaidya, 20, were visiting Monroe Lake with a group of friends when they disappeared on April 15, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources said in a news release.

The group was boating on a pontoon but put down an anchor to go swimming.

“When both men did not resurface, friends tried to help but were unsuccessful,” the release said.

Rescuers started searching the lake using sonar and scuba divers, but were forced to pause operations at nightfall, officials said. The search resumed April 16.

“Indiana University Student Services assisted with transporting the group back to campus and providing counselling services,” officials said.

Monroe Lake, roughly 64 miles southwest of downtown Indianapolis, is the “largest man-made body of water in Indiana,” according to the nearby City of Bloomington. The lake is 10,750 acres and 35-40 feet deep.

This story was originally published April 16, 2023 at 2:49 PM with the headline "Bodies of two missing college students recovered from Indiana lake, officials say."