Pathanamthitta: In a tragic incident, two Tamil Nadu natives drowned in the Kallada river near Enath here on Friday. The deceased are Mohammed Swolin (12) and Ajmal (20) of Coimbatore.
According to the Adoor Fire and Rescue Service, the incident occurred around 12.30 pm when a group of 13 people from Coimbatore on their way to Beemapally in Thiruvananthapuram went for a swim in the river near the Bailey Bridge.
Local residents had warned the group about the deep waters, but they ignored it and entered the river in a different area near Mandapam Kadavu bathing ghat, fire and rescue officers said.
A team from the Adoor fire station was deployed soon after receiving a call at 12.45 pm. They later recovered the bodies from near Kolassery bathing ghat, PTI reported.
Despite the strong current, the bodies were located after a search that extended about half a kilometre, fire and rescue officers said. Both bodies were brought to the shore within 15 minutes. Though a scuba team was on its way from Pathanamthitta, the fire brigade had retrieved the bodies before they arrived.
The parents of the deceased were also in the group which entered the river. The bodies will be handed over to the relatives after conducting the autopsy.