A fun-filled holiday trip to Hogenakkal Falls turned tragic for a group of 14 boys when four of their friends drowned on Wednesday afternoon.
The group of boys, all working for a private company in Koramangala, had gone to the falls on May Day. The four reportedly died while trying to save a friend Naveen, who was the first one to jump into the water, the police said.
The deceased were Nagesh (26), Vijay (19), Nanda (18) and Raju (26).
According to the Tamil Nadu police, the boys had come to Hogenakkal on seven bikes. Since the water flow in the falls was less rapid, the group moved to Kothakal to have bath. While bathing, Naveen reportedly slipped from a rock and fell into the river. On hearing his cries for help, four of his friends jumped into the river in an attempt to rescue him. While Naveen managed to hold on to a rock and save himself, the boys who had jumped into the water drowned.
Incidentally, not all the boys who jumped into the water could swim. According to Vasu, Vijay’s father, his son did not know swimming. “He told me he was going out with friends, but did not tell me where they were going. He said that he would be back the next morning. He was being brave and jumped into the water to rescue his friend who was drowning,” he said.
A search was undertaken and all the bodies were found on the banks of the river late on Wednesday evening.
However, the police claim that the deceased were drunk and did not have the strength to swim back and hence, they drowned. The Hogenakkal police informed the boys’ parents. Further investigation is on. The four bodies were kept in the Hogenakkal Government Hospital, where a post mortem will be done on Thursday, the police said.