New York, May 15 (PTI): Indian-origin techie Vishnu Irigireddy was among the three persons killed in a tragic climbing accident in Washington state's North Cascades Range of western North America.

Vishnu, 48, a resident of Seattle, was attempting to climb North Early Winters Spire area of the Cascades along with his three friends, Tim Nguyen, 63, Oleksander Martynenko, 36 and Anton Tselykh, 38, on Saturday when the accident happened, NBC News reported.

The group noticed a storm coming and started to retreat when at some point during their descent, the team’s anchor point failed and sent the group plunging 200 feet down, Climbing website reported.

Tselykh, the sole surviving climber, miraculously survived the dangerous fall and drove 64 kilometres to inform the authorities about the accident that killed his three friends.

Vishnu’s friends and family describe him as an experienced climber “who found joy and purpose in nature.”

“Originally from India and a proud member of Seattle’s vibrant tech and cultural community, Vishnu built a life that reflected his values—integrity, compassion, and a relentless pursuit of growth,” a note by family and friends on remembr.com website said.

According to a notice for his cremation ceremony, to be held on Thursday, his friends and family would be making donations to two non-profits to honour Vishnu, who they said had “developed an intense passion for mountaineering and climbing throughout his life.” They also made an appeal to others to donate to those charitable organisations till May 22.

Vishnu was working as Vice President of Engineering at Fluke Corporation, a test equipment manufacturing company in the Greater Seattle Area.

His company described him as an extraordinary leader in a statement released after his death adding that his loss “felt profoundly” across the organisation.

Tselykh is currently in hospital and is being treated for internal bleeding and a traumatic brain injury.

North Early Winters Spire, a granite peak in the Liberty Bell group of the North Cascades, is popular among experienced climbers.

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Raichur: The priest of the Ambabhavani Temple in Athkur village has been accused of stopping Dalit youngsters from entering the temple for a ritual related the Navaratri festival, although related parties, including the priest and Dalit leaders of the village, have denied knowledge about the incident.

A video of the youngsters, belonging to the Madiga community, who wanted to wear the ritual garlands for the festive period, being denied entry into the temple and the priest handing them the garlands keeping them outside the threshold has gone viral on social media platforms.

Yapaladinni Police officers, however, have said no police complaint about the matter has been filed so far. In addition, Dalit leaders in Athkur have said no such incident has occurred in the village, but the police officers are conducting an inquiry since youngsters have alleged that they were denied entry into the temple.

The temple priest has also refuted the charges against him, clarifying that action will be taken if a complaint is filed.