NAMAKKAL: Two men from Salem drowned in the Cauvery river at Jedarpalayam near Paramathi Velur in Namakkal. Their bodies were later recovered, and police have begun an inquiry.
The deceased have been identified as Govindaraj (29) and Durai Murugan (26), both from a locality in Attayampatti in Salem. They had gone to the river along with their friend Mohankumar (29) for a picnic.
Police said the three entered the river to bathe due to the intense heat. While they initially remained in a safer, shallow stretch, Govindaraj and Durai Murugan later moved towards a deeper part of the river. As they did not know how to swim, they struggled in the water and eventually drowned.
When the two did not come back to the surface, Mohankumar raised an alarm. People in the area rushed to help and began searching, but could not locate them immediately due to the depth and flow of the river.
Fire and rescue services personnel later reached the spot and launched a search operation. After more than an hour, the bodies of the two youths were recovered from a deeper section of the river and sent to the Paramathi Velur Government Hospital for autopsy. Police have registered a case.