Two students drown in Chovva river in Vadakara while learning to swim

VADAKARA: A swimming lesson turned tragic in Vadakara on Friday when two students drowned after being caught in the strong currents of the Chovva river at Maniyur. The deceased have been identified as 19-year-old Nabeel from Palayad and 12-year-old Sinan from Orkatteri.

The tragedy occurred in the Mooriyad river area behind the village office. The four-member group had gone to the river to learn swimming when all of them were caught in the current. Two students were rescued, but Nabeel and Sinan could not be saved. Their bodies were recovered later.

The tragedy came amid another drowning in Kozhikode district on Friday, taking the day's water-related death toll in the district to three.

In a separate incident, 17-year-old Mohammed Shaheen drowned in a river at Manipuram in Koduvally while he was out fishing with his friends. The children accompanying him alerted others after the accident.

Local residents, along with the Mavoor fire and rescue team and police, rushed to the spot and launched a search operation. Shaheen's body was eventually found trapped beneath a fallen log in the river.