CHENNAI: In a tragic incident, four youngsters from Tamil Nadu who were studying medicine in Russia allegedly drowned in the Volga river on Saturday.
Police said one of the students was from Chennai. He has been identified as M Stephan, 20, from Otteri. The others are Mohammed Ashiq of Tarapuram, Ramu Vignesh of Thittakudu and Manoj Anand of Thalaivasal in Salem. All the four were pursuing medicine at Volgograd Medical University.
Sources said on Saturday night, a few students including the four had gone to take a swim in the river, when one of them allegedly drowned. The others who went to rescue him also drowned.
A few hours later, the bodies of all four were washed ashore. Local police in Russia retrieved the bodies and informed the students' families through the embassy. The family members have requested the Chief Minister to hasten the process of bringing the students' bodies back home.
"Directions have been issued to bring back their remains back home at the earliest," Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said on Monday.
He said that he has directed senior government officials to immediately get in touch with the External Affairs Ministry and the Indian embassy in Russia, and arrange for bringing back the bodies of the four.
Expressing his heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the bereaved families, Palaniswami said he was "extremely anguished" over the news of the death of the four students on August 8.
Palaniswami today assured that senior government officials were carrying out his instructions on coordinating with the external affairs ministry and Indian embassy in Russia, to arrange for bringing back the bodies.
(With inputs from PTI)