PALAKKAD: The bodies of the three students who drowned in Walayar dam were recovered on Tuesday. It was on Monday afternoon that the three students from Sundarapuram in Coimbatore went missing. They had been washed away when they entered the dam waters to bathe. On Tuesday before the search began, the body of Purnesh had washed ashore. The search operations were conducted by the personnel of Navy, police, fire and rescue services, civil defence and trauma care members from Malappuram.
By afternoon the bodies of Anto and Sanjay were also recovered. A naval diving team deployed by the Southern Naval Command in response to the assistance sort by the Palakkad district collector also assisted in search operations.
It was on Monday afternoon at 2.30 pm that a five-member team of students of Hindusthan Polytechnic, all residents of Sundarapuram in Coimbatore, arrived to bathe in the dam in Walayar. They had arrived in two motor bikes. The mishap occurred when they entered the waters of the dam. Initially it was Sanjay who was found sinking into the water. Subsequently the other two deceased students tried to pull him out but were also sucked into the waters in the process. All the three students were 16-year olds and were doing their computer engineering first year diploma course.This year alone nine persons have drowned in Walayar dam, Malampuzha dam, ponds and rivers under the Kanjikode fire station alone, said officials.