RANIPET: The bodies of two youths who drowned after being swept away by floodwaters in an irrigation canal connected to the Kaveripakkam lake at Poondi village near Ranipet were recovered on Sunday morning. The deceased were identified as S Manikandan (22) and P Arun (21).
Walajapet Inspector Solomon Raja said the bodies were recovered around 9.30 am on Sunday following a 14-hour intensive search operation carried out by personnel from the Ranipet Fire and Rescue Services department. “The bodies were sent for postmortem to the Walaja Government Hospital and later handed over to their family members,” Inspector Solomon said.
According to the police, Manikandan hailed from Panapakkam in Ranipet’s Nemili taluk, while Arun was a native of Tiruvottiyur in Chennai. Both were employed at a private firm in Oragadam, Chennai.
On the afternoon of October 25, their day off, the duo had visited Poondi with seven of their friends. When the two entered the irrigation canal, a sudden surge of floodwater swept them away.
Their friends, along with local residents, immediately alerted the Walajapet police, who in turn sought assistance from the Fire and Rescue Services department. Personnel from the department, along with other officials, launched an intensive search operation to trace the missing youths.
The Walajapet police have registered a case and further investigations are under way.