Second Indian national dies following Albany House fire

A second Indian national, Anvesh Sarapelli, has died from severe injuries sustained in a house fire in Albany, US, officials and the Indian mission confirmed. His death follows the passing of Sahaja Reddy Udumala, who had also suffered critical burns in the incident.

"We are deeply saddened by the untimely demise of Mr Anvesh Sarepalli, an Indian national, who lost his life in a house fire incident in Albany. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with his family in this difficult time," the Consulate General of India in New York said in a social media post on Saturday (6).

The mission is in touch with his family and is providing all possible assistance, it added. Umudala and Sarapelli were among four people found inside the home near Quail Street when police and firefighters responded to the fire on Thursday (4). The victims were treated at the scene by the Albany Fire Department and emergency medical personnel before being transported to Albany Medical Centre Hospital.

Umudala and Sarapelli were later transferred to the Westchester Medical Burn Centre for further treatment. Albany Police said “tragically”, Umudala and Sarapelli both succumbed to their injuries they sustained in the fire. The Albany Police Department had said in a statement that when they arrived at the scene, officers and firefighters found the residence fully engulfed in flames and learned that several individuals were still inside the home.

A ‘GoFundMe' campaign has been launched by Udumala's cousin, Rathna Gopu, to help meet funeral and memorial expenses, repatriation arrangements, and other costs arising from the tragedy. On the fundraising page, Gopu said the family had suffered an “unimaginable tragedy” with the loss of Udumala, a 24-year-old master's student in Albany.

Udumala had sustained burns covering nearly 90 per cent of her body and “struggled immensely, fighting with all the strength she had,” Gopu wrote, adding that she died after suffering complete organ failure.