THANJAVUR: Four youth drowned in the Cauvery river near Papanasam on Friday. Search is on for two others. According to sources, the group of seven friends from the Seethalakshmipuram in Kabisthalam went to bathe in the Cauvery. When all seven were in the water, a strong current swept them away. B Sanjai (14) managed to get out of the water and raised an alarm. On information, fire and rescue personnel rushed to the spot and launched search operations to find the missing youth. Water flow of the Cauvery was reduced at the Cauvery-Arasalaaru head to facilitate the search operation, sources said. Of the six, bodies of S Manikandan (17), T Venkatesan (18), K Vishnuprasath (13) and K Naveen (14) were retrieved. The search continues for S Kathiravan (17) and B Sivabalan (15).