Three youth aged between 18 and 20 years drowned in River Bhavani at Thekkampatti near Mettupalayam on Friday. The three were among the eight persons from Vellayapuram near Ottupattarai in Coonoor who had gone to Mettupalayam on four bikes on a one-day tour.
The victims were identified as A. Shahul (18), S. Prasanth (20) and K. Prasanth (18). They had gone to the place with their friends R. Jayakumar (19), M. Pradeevi (19) V. Kabin (18), and G. Kannan (18) and and Nirmal (17).
Station Fire Officer (SFO) of Mettupalayam R. Palanisamy told The Hindu that the three drowned in a deep pit where a rock once existed. “Two years ago the rock was blasted with the help of the Public Works Department,” he said. Clearing the rock left a pit that is 20 to 25 feet deep.
The SFO said that the youth did not know swimming.
One of them slipped into the pit and the other two, who went to his rescue, drowned around 12.30 p.m.
Information reached fire and rescue services personnel only about half an hour after the incident.
The bodies were retrieved from the pit and sent to Mettupalayam Government Hospital for post-mortem examination.
The personnel said that there was a notice board erected on the way to the river warning tourists not to bathe there.
