Berlin: A 25-year-old Indian student died under mysterious circumstances in Germany on New Year’s Day. Authorities have claimed that Hruthik Reddy died while attempting to escape a fire at his apartment late on Wednesday. The cause of the fire is not known.
Reddy was to return home to his village in the Jangaon district of Telangana to celebrate Sankranti with his family later this month, as reported by NDTV.
Officials have said that a major fire broke out in the apartment building in Berlin. Reddy apparently jumped from the upper floor while trying to escape the rapidly spreading blaze and thick smoke. He suffered head injuries due to the fall and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he died while undergoing treatment.
His family in the Malkapur village of Jangaon, who were eagerly awaiting his return, are yet to come to terms with the tragedy. They have approached the Ministry of External Affairs to bring back Reddy’s body to India for the last rites.
The student had reportedly left for Magdeburg in Germany in June 2023 to pursue an MS degree at the University of Europe. He graduated from Vaagdevi College of Engineering in 2022. He postponed taking a break during Dasara, planning to come home in the second week of January for the Sankranti festival instead, it has been reported.
Authorities in Germany have said that they are investigating the cause of the fire.
Reddy is the second student from Jangaon in Telangana to die in this manner abroad. Barely a few weeks ago, a 24-year-old woman from the district was killed in a house fire in the US. The victim, Sahaja Reddy Udumala, had moved to the US in 2021 for higher studies. She was living in Albany, New York. The fire had originated in a neighbouring building and spread rapidly to Sahaja’s house. She was reportedly asleep when the fire broke out and was unable to escape, authorities said.
