Two classmates drown in Neyyar river

POOVAR: Two students drowned while taking a bath with their friends in Neyyar river. The deceased have been identified as Ashwin Raj (15), son of Karumkulam native Ashok and Rakhi, and Joswin, son of Kanchampazhinji native Joseph and Gracie.

Both Ashwin and Joswin are class 10 students of MV Higher Secondary School, Arumanoor. The tragedy happened at Mavilakkadavu in Neyyar. The two had gone to the river bank along with four other friends. Ashwin Raj was first swept away by the strong current while taking a bath in the river. Joswin was also swept away by the strong current while trying to save Ashwin. Poovar police and the scuba unit of the fire force recovered the bodies from the sandbank after hours of searching. The bodies will be handed over to the relatives on Saturday after the postmortem.