Three students who took bath in the Kollidam river in Grand Anicut were drowned to death on Thursday afternoon.
According to police sources three friends R Sri Girinath (19), of Ponmalai Railway quarters, studying B Tech first year in Periyar Maniyammai University, V Hariprasad (19) of Tiruvanaikka studying second year mechanical engineering in MAM Engineering College, Siruganur and G Surya (20) of Ponmalai Railway quarters studying in Jamal Mohamed College, Tiruchy went to Grand Anicut on Thursday afternoon.
As there were restrictions to bath in the Grand Anicut area, the trio went to the Killikoodu village near the grand anicut dam and got down into the Kollidam river to bath, sources said. As there was strong current in the water, all the three were said to be drowned in the water.
The inland fisherfolk of the village along with the fire service personnel ventured into the river and retrieved the bodies. The Thogur police have registered a case.
The public who assembled in the Grand Anicut area and the villagers urged the police to intensify the patrol when the water was let into the rivers and to erect bill boards to caution the public from venturing into the rivers.
In another drowning incident Chinnaponnu (92) wife of Swaminathan of Narayana Agraharam in Kumbakonam who took bath in the Cauvery river at Tirumanjana Cauvery ghat on Wednesday evening was drowned to death in the gushing waters of Cauvery.
Meanwhile, the right bank of Grand Anicut Canal breached to an extent of 50 feet near Solagampatti jungle stream in Thanjavur district on Thursday morning. The breach, said to be caused due to rat burrows in the bank, diverted the water to the jungle stream nearby which inturn drained into the Vennaru river. Following the breach, water discharge was drastically reduced from 3,500 cusecs to 100 cusecs from the Grand Anicut.
By evening, the breach had been closed using sand bags and tree poles.