PALAKKAD: Two youths drowned in the Mukai river near Mattumantha. Vaishnav (19), son of Murukani resident Ramesh, and Ajay Krishnan (18), son of Unnikrishnan, got stuck in the mud and died. The incident happened yesterday afternoon. They are employees of a private firm in Kochi and came home on the last day.

Both of them went to bathe at the deserted pier behind the eco-village on the riverside near the house. They were the only ones present at the scene. In the afternoon, a man who was tending cattle in the area figured out the accident when he found their clothes and mobile phone on the bank of the river. He reached the river bank after hearing the mobile phone ringing. Malampuzha police, fire brigade, and locals took out the dead bodies around 4:30 in the evening. It is concluded that while trying to save the first person who was stuck in the mud, the second person also met with an accident.

The dead bodies were shifted to the district hospital mortuary. An autopsy will be conducted today. Bindu is the mother of Vaishnav. Brother: Jishnu. Usha is the mother of the deceased Ajay. Brother: Abhijith.