NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Atlanta, GA, July 25, 2025: Saumen Kundu, 49, a Georgia resident originally from Bengal and an employee of Cognizant, tragically drowned on Thursday evening while swimming with his young son at Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island.
According to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and local media reports, the incident occurred around 7:51 p.m. when Kundu and his son were swept into a rip current.
At about 7 p.m., Hilton Head Fire Rescue’s 911 Center received a report of multiple swimmers in distress in the area of South Sea Pines Drive at beach marker 5.
When Hilton Head Fire Rescue arrived at the scene, they located two people in the water. Fire Rescue and Shore Beach Services went into the water and got both of the swimmers out. The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office confirms that a father and son were the two swimmers. They were caught in rip current while in the water.
Once on shore, lifesaving efforts were started on the father. Despite those efforts, he was later pronounced dead.
The son was rescued unharmed.
The body of the father is now in the custody of the local mortuary.
Community members in Atlanta shared that Kundu, who was in the U.S. on an H1-B visa, had traveled to Hilton Head earlier that day with his wife Nivedita, their son, and Nivedita’s mother for a short family trip.
Local Indian American organizations and support groups have begun mobilizing to assist the grieving family. Messages of condolence have been pouring in from friends, colleagues, and community members.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation into the drowning, which occurred during what authorities described as hazardous rip current conditions along parts of the South Carolina coast.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help his family cover funeral and other essential expenses. https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-saumen-kundus-family-after-tragedy
Cover photo of Hilton Head beach courtesy: Wikimedia.
