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Parents of 2 among 3 dead after falling through ice on frozen lake in Arizona

Arizona Lake Drownings
Posted at 2:18 PM, Dec 29, 2022
and last updated 2022-12-29 16:18:41-05

Authorities in Arizona said three people, all Indian nationals, died after they fell through the ice on a frozen lake in Coconino County as they attempted to take a photo.

According to the Coconino County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to Woods Canyon Lake Monday afternoon to report that a woman and two men had fallen into the water.

Deputies were able to pull Haritha Muddana from the water, but she was pronounced dead, the department said in a news release.

Officials said the bodies of 49-year-old Narayana Muddana and 47-year-old Gokul Mediseti were recovered the next day, according to the news release.

Sheriff's office spokesman Jon Paxton told ABC-15 that the Muddanas, who were married, and Mediseti had driven up from Chandler. He added they were all part of a group of three families that were looking to spend the day after Christmas outdoors.

Paxton told the news outlet that the three parents were attempting "to get some pictures out on the ice" when they fell through the ice into the water.

The Muddanas two young children are being looked after by a family friend who lives next door until they are reunited with their grandparents, Phoenix's AZFamily.com reported Wednesday.