Community Raises $155K for Drowning Victims' Families

Within hours of learning that two young men had drowned on a weekend trip, friends and strangers across Australia began opening their wallets to help families they'd never met.

Sahil Batra, 32, and Sachin Khillan, 31, died on January 25 while cooling off in the Never Never River near Coffs Harbour during a weekend escape from Sydney. The two friends slipped into a deep waterhole while walking along what appeared to be a shallow riverbed.

Despite immediate rescue attempts by friends and neighbors, both men were pronounced dead at the scene. Batra, an IT professional who had just become a permanent resident in December, was expecting a child with his wife. Khillan worked as a carpentry teacher at Nova Institute of Technology, where colleagues and students remembered him as a devoted educator and "pure soul."

Family friend Sunita Kalkal saw the financial burden mounting immediately. Between emergency flights from interstate, living expenses for grieving families, and the cost of repatriating both bodies to India where extended families waited, the numbers were staggering.

She launched a fundraiser within days. The response stunned everyone involved.

About $50,000 came in within hours. The total passed $100,000 within 24 hours and kept climbing beyond $155,000 as messages of support flooded in from across the country.

"I never think that community will stand up like this," Kalkal told SBS Hindi. "Very kind messages from all people around."

The Ripple Effect

The fundraising success represents more than dollars. For families navigating shock and grief thousands of miles from their extended support networks, the donations provide something precious: space to mourn without financial panic.

"Please say thank you to everyone who is helping out," the families told Kalkal. The funds will cover immediate living costs, travel expenses, and help ensure both men can be laid to rest surrounded by loved ones in India.

At Nova Institute of Technology, manager Preeti Barot struggled to process the news about Khillan when she couldn't reach him that morning. "In first instant I did not accept, is it for real or no?" she said. The school has rallied around supporting his family and students through the loss.

The tragedy highlights ongoing water safety concerns in Australia, where drowning deaths increased 27 percent above the 10-year average in the past year. But it also reveals something hopeful: when crisis strikes, communities can mobilize extraordinary support with remarkable speed.

The $155,000 raised in days shows what's possible when people choose connection over isolation, action over helplessness, and compassion for families facing their darkest moments.