Nepali community mourns deaths of Fort Worth teens in Brazos River accident
Trisharan Khatri dreamed of becoming a doctor. His friend Hikaru Gautam helped his parents in the Nepali community.
The 19-year-olds were bright young men from the Nepali community in North Texas.
On Tuesday, that community and others were mourning the deaths of the two friends after a night of fishing near the Possum Kingdom Lake dam turned into a tragedy.
Gautam, Khatri and another 19-year-old were in the area Thursday night when the accident occurred..
“One of them had their iPhone fall into the water,” said Dinesh Sharma, president of the Napalese Society of Texas, which is based in Irving. “He went into the water to get it and got in trouble because there was a current. The two others jumped in to help.”
Khatri’s body was found Saturday morning in the Brazos River and Gautam’s body was discovered Sunday afternoon.
A ruling on their deaths is pending an autopsy at the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office in Fort Worth.
The third Fort Worth teenager managed to get out of the river and suffered minor injuries.
The teenagers had been fishing in the dam spillway at about 9:30 p.m. Thursday. Authorities noted that the area is a popular spot for fishing, but the teens had crossed into a restricted area.
Game warden Michael Foster of Texas Parks and Wildlife told the Star-Telegram on Monday a valve was open on the dam Thursday night and the teens were swept away by the current.
Dive teams from the North Texas area helped in the search for the teens.
The teens were 2019 graduates of Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Worth, according to Keller school district officials.
A GoFundMe account started by Khatri’s Dallas Gurkhas soccer teammates was at almost $16,000 on Tuesday afternoon. The goal was to raise $15,000. The funds are to help Khatri’s family pay for his funeral.
“We were not prepared for this day, not even possible in our imagination,” his teammates wrote on the GoFundMe account. “We are all devastated by Trisharan’s loss.”
His teammates said Khatri had a wonderful young heart who touched the lives of those around him.
Gautam was the son of Nepali community leaders Sarita Chaulagai and Sumod Gautam.
“I would see him (Hikaru) at community events with his parents,” Sharma said Tuesday.
A GoFundMe account to help Gautam’s family with funeral expenses has been created. As of Wednesday, more than $15,600 had been raised for the family.
Gautam was described as shy, respectful and a big momma’s boy.
“He radiated energy and touched the lives of those around him with his compassion,” according to the GoFundMe account. “Anyone that knew him knew his ability to connect and understand others though his easy-going attitude and kind-spirited heart.”
The account said Gautam’s funeral would have to be limited to his family because of COVID-19.
“Sorrow fills our heart at this sad moment,” officials of the Napalese Society of Texas wrote on their Facebook page. “The news of the untimely death of two young community members came as a great shock.”
This story was originally published July 14, 2020 at 2:47 PM.
