Hyderabad: The duo with the same name — Akhil Mittapelli and Akhil Macharla — were about to celebrate their birthday on Thursday with their friends in a grand manner.
Just like their names, their birthdays were also on the same day.
They planned to cut the birthday cakes in Delhi on their way back from Himachal Pradesh.
But tragically, the Beas river washed them away. Their parents are still in shock.
“We had planned many surprises for them. Many of us had bought birthday gifts even before the trip,” said C. Khetan Kumar, one of the survivors and a friend of the duo.
While Akhil Mittapelli stayed in a hostel near the college, Akhil Macharla lived with his family in LB Nagar.
As they had never celebrated their birthday together before, they had planned to do it this year on the concluding day of their tour.
“Our return tickets were booked in one coach. So we had planned to continue the birthday celebrations in the train,” said Kethan.
The dream ended, and the nightmare continues as the bodies are yet to be found.
The parents of both Akhil’s are still in shock. “We have got no information about Akhil. When we last talked to him over the phone, he said he would be celebrating his birthday in Delhi with another boy named Akhil,” said Akhil Mittapelly’s father M. Sanjay Kumar.
Akhil Mittapelly had updated his Facebook status hours before the mishap. It said “It’s a superb feeling travelling on top of mountains through river valley etc.”
