A 29-year-old Indian student from Kollam, Kerala, has passed away in Latvia, five months after a devastating car crash left him in a coma. Vishnu Mohanan Pillai had been battling for his life in a hospital in the capital city of Riga since the accident in April.

The tragedy occurred on 2 April when Vishnu met with a severe road accident in Riga. He was immediately rushed to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he remained unconscious under intensive medical care.

As his condition remained critical, Vishnu's family in Kerala made desperate attempts to fly him back to India for advanced treatment. When those repatriation efforts failed due to his unstable medical state, his father, Mohanan Pillai, travelled to Latvia to care for him. He was at his son's bedside when the young man passed away.

Vishnu, a resident of MS Nivas near Jawahar Junction in Parippally, Kollam, was the son of Mohanan Pillai and Bindu Malini. A bright student, he completed his BTech from Nagaroor Rajadhani Engineering College before moving to Latvia three and a half years ago to pursue an MTech degree. Tragically, he was on the cusp of moving to Germany to begin a new job when the fatal accident occurred. He is survived by his parents and his sister, Archa.

Efforts are now being coordinated through the Ministry of External Affairs to bring Vishnu's mortal remains back to Kollam.