Indian student killed in Germany on New Year fire

01/02/2026 | 01:12 PM Sai Shankar Rapolu

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For the Sankranti celebration, Hruthik Reddy’s family had been looking forward to his return. The Telangana student’s body will now arrive in the new year.

Late on Wednesday night, a fire mishap in Germany claimed the life of the 25-year-old student. His home in Germany is said to have experienced a serious fire.

Hruthik is reported to have received head injuries after jumping from the upper level of the Berlin apartment in an attempt to flee the quickly developing fire and dense smoke. After being taken to a local hospital, he passed away while receiving care.

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His family’s New Year’s Day celebration was turned into a time of grief when the disaster happened.

His family is still coping with the tragedy of his sudden death, and a shadow of sorrow has settled upon his home in Malkapur village in the state’s Jangaon district.

According to reports, Hruthik Reddy departed for Magdeburg, Germany, in June 2023 to study for an MS at the University of Europe. In 2022, he received his degree from Vaagdevi College of Engineering.

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According to reports, he decided to return home for the Sankranti holiday during the second week of January rather than take a break during Dasara.

Germany’s local authorities are looking into what started the fire. In the meantime, Hruthik’s relatives and friends in Telangana have contacted the Indian Embassy in Germany and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to hasten the return of his lifeless remains to his hometown for the last ceremonies.

The event follows a string of disasters involving Telugu students studying overseas, such as the US house fire last month that claimed the life of a 24-year-old woman from the Jangaon area.

Sahaja Reddy Udumala, the victim, relocated to the US in 2021 to pursue further education. She was a resident of Albany, New York. Preliminary reports indicate that the fire quickly spread to Sahaja’s home after starting in a nearby structure. When the fire started, she was allegedly asleep and unable to flee.