KOCHI: Two nursing students drowned in the Periyar Valley Canal at Ashamannoor near Perumbavoor, on Tuesday. The deceased are Ajmal Habeeb, of Malappuram, and Ajsal of Kollam – both students of KMP Nursing Institute in Ashamannoor. Another youth, Emil Sunil of Vaikom in Kottayam, was rescued and admitted to Mar Baselios Medical Mission Hospital in Kothamangalam, where he remains in critical condition, said an officer with the Kothamangalam Fire and Rescue Station.
The incident occurred around 11 am when the trio entered the canal for a bath to escape from the intense heat. They were soon caught in the currents and swept away. Local residents initiated rescue efforts and alerted the fire and rescue department.
One of the youths was pulled out and rushed to the hospital, while the bodies of the other two were later recovered during a joint operation by fire and rescue personnel from Perumbavoor and Kothamangalam.
A Scuba team also participated in the rescue operation, said the officer. The bodies have been shifted to the Perumbavoor Taluk Hospital mortuary and will be handed over to relatives after postmortem examination and legal formalities, he added.