33-year-old Venkatesh Doppalaudi, an Indian-origin man, was found dead in Kansas hours after he went missing as his car was pulled by floodwaters in Sumner County. The incident took place on Saturday, and the rescue operation began immediately. Though the car was found, the driver was not found. The rescue mission did not continue overnight. Venkatesh’s body was found on Sunday after he was reported missing and help to locate him was sought locally.On Sunday, the Summer County Sheriff’s office said that they recovered the body of the driver who went missing. Deputies went to the 600 block of south Oliver Road after the report came in of a submerged vehicle on the west side of the bridge. A witness told deputies that they saw the vehicle go into the water and that someone was still inside the vehicle. The speed and force of the floodwaters prevented the Wellington Fire Department from entering the water. A Kansas Highway Patrol Air Unit assisted in the search for the driver, along with a police drone.The body of the victim was found at 12:19 p.m. on Sunday, about 1/4 mile downstream from Oliver Road.Doppalaudi was from Omaha, Nebraska and originally from Andhra Pradesh. As he was reported missing, his family in India reached out to the local leaders.It is not yet known why Doppalaudi was in Kansas, which has been under severe flash flood alerts because of continuous rain. A friend, however, said his destination was not Kansas. He was traveling from Houston and chose a non-toll route and was probaby caught in the floodwaters while dribing on a local road near Wellington.
