Tuesday 27 September 2011

Former North County resident presumed dead in India


A former Encinitas resident who attended elementary, middle, and some high school in North County is presumed dead after falling from a trail in India on an education abroad trip.

Thomas Plotkin — Courtesy
Thomas Plotkin, 20, who attended La Costa Canyon High School for a year before moving to Minnesota, fell from a 300-foot-high trail near Munsiyari, India, on Thursday and has not been found. He is presumed dead, according to the National Outdoor Leadership School, the organization with which he traveled.
Plotkin attended the University of Iowa, majoring in international relations. He chose to visit India and was hiking a trail into the Himalaya Mountains, said his aunt, Victoria Brenner. Around dusk Sept. 22, Plotkin was on day 26 of the route, accompanied by about 20 other people traveling over the Gori Ganga River. He had a sore ankle and stepped off the trail to let others pass, his aunt said.
Authorities told his family that his ankle buckled while he was wearing a 60-pound pack, causing him to fall. About 600 people are searching for Plotkin, including helicopters and the Indian army. They found what appeared to be Plotkin’s backpack today.
Plotkin, originally from Chicago, attended Mission Estancia Elementary School, Diegueno Middle School and La Costa Canyon High School. He played hockey for the La Jolla Jaguars travel club. He moved to Minneapolis around 2005.
The National Outdoor Leadership School, unaffiliated with the University of Iowa, released a statement expressing condolences for Plotkin’s family.
Thomas Plotkin is survived by his mother, Elizabeth Brenner, his father, Norm Plotkin, his two brothers, Joseph and Daniel, and his grandmother, Ardell Brenner.

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