KARUR: Four girl students of Viralimalai Government Middle School in Pudukkottai, who went to Tiruchy to take part in a football tournament, were drowned in the Cauvery river near Mayanur Barrage in Karur district on Wednesday.
According to sources, teachers Jaya Sakapiyun and Thilakavathi of the school functioning in Pilipatti village took 15 students of Classes VI, VII, and VIII in a van to participate in a state-level football tournament held at Kongunadu Engineering College at Ezhurpatti in Tiruchy district on Wednesday. As the barrage is on the way from the college to Viralimalai in Pudukkottai, the group decided to take bath in the river around 10 am.
All the 15 girls and the teachers waded through the water to reach the centre of the river, sources said. Suddenly, Tamilarasi of Class VIII, Sophia of Class VII, and Ilakkiya and Lavanya of Class VI started drowning in the river.
Hearing their cries for help, residents from nearby areas informed the fire and rescue services department. Firefighters from Karur and Musiri in Tiruchy district who arrived at the spot deployed coracles and launched a search operation. A few of the personnel also jumped into the river in search of the girls. After a few hours, the dead bodies of the four victims were retrieved from the river, sources said.
Karur collector Dr T Prabhushankar and superintendent of police Sundaravathanam, who inspected the rescue operation, said the students entered the waters ignoring a warning board put up by the PWD instructing people to refrain from venturing into the river as it was highly dangerous with many deep spots.
Speaking to reporters, Prabhushankar said the other 11 girls rescued were stationed in a secured room.
"The district administration has taken steps to send them to their homes safely. Bodies of the four victims have been sent to Karur Government Medical College Hospital for autopsy.
“The bodies will be handed over to their families after the postmortem," he said.
Chief Minister MK Stalin has announced a solatium of Rs 2 lakh each to the victims’ families. The school’s headmaster, Potumani, and the two teachers who accompanied the girls were suspended by the education department.
Meanwhile, parents and relatives of the girls staged a protest in Pudukkottai and refused to receive the bodies saying that they were neither informed nor their permission was sought for carrying out the autopsy. Mayanur police have filed a case and a probe is on.