Five drown in Tamil Nadu while performing temple ritual in pond

Chennai: Five young men drowned in Tamil Nadu while performing a seasonal temple ritual in a pond, on Wednesday, police said.

An official release identified the deceased as Surya, Banesh, Raghavan and Yogeswaran, all aged between 21 and 22 and an 18-year-old, Raghavan.

The accident occurred when priests and volunteers entered the pond and formed a circle as part of a ritual, and at that time a person who was part of the group began to drown. When four others tried to rescue him, they too went underwater, police said.

Chief Minister M K Stalin, conveying his condolences to the bereaved, announced a solatium of Rs 2 lakh to each of the families of the five deceased.

Senior revenue and police officials arrived at the spot, and the bodies of the youth were fished out by Fire and Rescue Services personnel and taken to Chrompet government hospital for autopsy.

Chennai Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal, who inspected the spot, told reporters that the victims were in the age group of 18-22 and steps would be taken in coordination with local civic authorities to prevent such accidents in the future. The accident occurred when a ritual was performed by priests who carried an idol, he said.

(With PTI inputs)