TIRUPPUR: Three people drowned in Amaravathi river in Dharapuram on Tuesday evening.
According to police, a group of 21 devotees from Madurai were on a pilgrimage to various spots in Tamil Nadu by a van. While returning from a spiritual centre in Coimbatore on the Dharapuram-Ottanchadram road, they saw the Amaravathi river and decided to take a dip. Though revenue and fire service departments had installed boards warning people not to enter the waters in the area, the devotees entered the river .
While they were bathing, Hariharan (16) was swept away by the strong water current and raised alarm. Relatives tried to save him and Baghyaraj (35) and Chinna Karuppu (35) - who were swimmers tried to rescue the boy. But the current was strong and all three persons drowned. Fire and rescue personnel retrieved the bodies.