TIRUNELVELI: Three Class 12 students drowned in a surplus water canal while they were bathing near Melathediyur of Tirunelveli.
The deceased were identified as R Andrews (17) of Konkanathanparai, J Arunkumar (18) of Jothipuram and W Nicksal (17) of Perumalpuram.
“Six Class 12 students of a private school in Jothipuram visited their friend’s house in Vaduvurpatti to take part in a housewarming function. After the function, they went to take a bath in the surplus-water canal, a part of the Thamirabarani-Nambiyar-Karumeniyar River-Linking Project. Andrews, Arunkumar and Nicksal ventured into the deep waters and began drowning.
Their friends’ efforts to rescue them went in vain, and they alerted the fire and rescue services personnel, who reached the spot. The canal is about 30 feet deep. Without knowing this, the students who do not know swimming went to the deep end,” sources said.
After a three-hour-long search, fire and rescue services personnel from Cheranmahadevi retrieved the bodies and sent them to the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital for postmortem examination. The Munneerpallam police registered a case and are inquiring, sources said.