PARASSALA: A 24-year-old youth drowned while taking bathe in the lake in Pozhiyoor on Tuesday. The deceased has been identified as Karikkakam native Benny Benedict. He had gone to the lake along with his friends on Tuesday morning.

According to sources, Benny and his friends gathered near the lake by around 8.30 am. Later, four of them including Benny went to take bathe in the lake. As the sandbar between the lake and the sea was cut off, Benny was swept away by the strong force of water. His body was eventually recovered from the other side of the lake by a scuba team of the fire force. Benny had been working as a driver of a private company for the last three years. His body is currently kept at the mortuary of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital. He is survived by father Benedict, mother Achamma, sisters Mary Susheela and Mary Binitha.