Second Indian student rescued from lake in Hurricane Harvey-hit Texas dies

Agencies

September 4, 2017

Houston, Sept 4: A 25-year-old Indian student has died here, days after she was rescued along with another Indian man from a swollen lake in the US state of Texas where Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc.

Shalini Singh, a student pursuing Masters degree in public health from the Texas A&M University, was rescued from the Lake Bryan along with another Indian student Nikhil Bhatia last Saturday.

While Bhatia died in hospital on August 30, Singh, who continued to be in a critical condition, was declared dead late last night.

Her younger brother and maternal uncle, who flew in from New Delhi on August 30, were with her at the time of death.

Singh, originally hailing from Delhi, came to the US only last month to pursue the two years Masters program after her degree in Dental Surgery from I T S Dental College in Greater Noida.

She will be cremated in Bryan on Tuesday or Wednesday next week, according to the consulate sources.

Singh continued to be on life support till intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, according to the Consulate officials, who were in regular touch with the family members in hospital.

According to their friends and some witnesses, Singh and Bhatia were swimming in the lake when a sudden current of water pushed them deeper.

The friends accompanying them noticed that the duo were in distress and flagged down nearby police officers.

Bryan Police officers were able to rescue and provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation to the victims until medics arrived, according to Bryan Mayor Andrew Nelson.

Consul General of India in Houston, Dr Anupam Ray had been monitoring her medical needs and situation closely.

Around 13 million people were battling "catastrophic" flooding and torrential rains in the storm-ravaged Texas where Hurricane Harvey has wreaked havoc, claiming at least 50 lives.

According to local community leaders, at least 150,000 Indian-Americans live in and around Houston area and have been badly hit by the hurricane.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Pak jail authorities say Imran Khan is alive and healthy after ‘murder’ rumours spark panic

News Network

November 27,2025

Authorities at Pakistan’s high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on Wednesday dismissed speculation about the condition of imprisoned former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, rejecting rumours that he had been moved out of the facility or was in danger. Officials said Khan was in “good health” and described the viral death claims as “baseless.”

“There is no truth to reports about his transfer from Adiala Jail,” the Rawalpindi prison administration said in a statement, according to Geo News. “He is fully healthy and receiving complete medical attention.”

Amid swirling rumours on social media, Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), urged the federal government to issue an official clarification and demanded that authorities allow his family to meet him immediately, Dawn reported.

The frenzy began after Khan’s three sisters called for an impartial probe into what they described as a “brutal” police assault on them and other PTI supporters outside Adiala Jail last week. Soon after, several social media handles circulated unverified claims alleging that Khan had been “killed” inside the prison.

The rumours intensified when a handle named “Afghanistan Times” claimed that “credible sources” had confirmed Khan’s “murder” and that his body had been moved out of the jail — allegations that have not been verified by any credible agency.

Imran Khan, PTI’s patron-in-chief, has been lodged in the Rawalpindi prison since August 2023 in multiple cases. For over a month, an undeclared restriction has prevented family members and senior PTI leaders from meeting him. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has reportedly been denied access despite making seven attempts.

In a letter to Punjab Police Chief Usman Anwar, Khan’s sisters — Noreen Niazi, Aleema Khan, and Dr. Uzma Khan — said they were “peacefully protesting” outside the jail when police allegedly launched an unprovoked assault after streetlights were switched off.

“At 71, I was seized by my hair, thrown to the ground and dragged across the road,” Noreen Niazi said, alleging that other women present were also slapped and manhandled.

Adiala Jail officials reiterated that speculation over Imran Khan’s health was unfounded and insisted that his well-being was being ensured, Geo News reported.

Comments