Whitewater rafting victim mourned in Calgary and India

Friends and co-workers are remembering Arun Anbazhagan who died in a whitewater rafting incident near Longview, Alberta

Friends and co-workers are remembering a 35-year-old University of Calgary PhD student killed in a Sunday afternoon rafting accident near Longview.

Arun Anbazhagan was originally from India but moved to Calgary last spring to work on his PhD in neuroscience.

Anbazhagan died after the raft he was in with four other members of his research team flipped over on the Highwood River near Longview.

Arun was wearing a life-jacket and helmet at the time of the accident.

His PhD supervisor says Arun helped build the lab the team works in and everywhere they look there will be reminders of his contributions.

“He was friendly, intelligent, funny, mostly at ease, also intelligent and philosophical about life,” says Dr. Grant Gordon, a PhD supervisor.  “We'll really miss him.”

Co-workers at the U of C are planning to plant a tree in Arun's honour.

Anbazhagan’s body will be returned to his family in India.