KANNIYAKUMARI: Two persons drowned in the sea at Kodimunai near Colachel here on Sunday after they were washed away by strong waves off the Kanniyakumari coast. According to marine police sources, the deceased have been identified as T Vesis (55) of Choolaimedu and J Manojkumar (25) of Villivakkam, who had arrived in Kodimunai as part of a spiritual tour.
Soon after the duo, who were standing on a rock, was swept away by giant waves, fishermen of the region dived into the sea to rescue them. Though the individuals were rushed to a nearby hospital, they were declared brought dead, and the bodies were sent to Kanniyakumari Government Medical College Hospital for postmortem, sources said.
In a similar incident at Thengapattinam, a man and his daughter, who were playing in the seashore, were swept away by freak waves on Sunday. While the father, identified as Premadhas of Vilunthayamambalam, was rescued later, the girl went missing and a search is under way by the marine police to trace her, sources added.
It may be noted that District Collector PN Sridhar, in a press release on Saturday, had warned of winds gusting up to 65 km and waves rising to 1.5 m height in the coastal areas of Kerala and southern Tamil Nadu on Sunday. He had further instructed people not to take baths in sea, cautioned fishermen against venturing into the sea, and asked residents of low-lying coastal regions to stay alert.