Rescue teams on Monday retrieved the bodies of two Class 12 students who had gone missing in a river in Muvattupuzha while swimming with friends. The students, Chris and Aswin, natives of Vazhakulam, were caught in strong currents around 6 pm on Sunday evening at the Vallikada banks in Avoly panchayat.

Fire and rescue officials, along with scuba teams from Muvattupuzha and Kothamangalam, conducted a search till 1.30 am but could not trace the students, an officer from the Muvattupuzha Fire and Rescue Station said. A scuba team from Thodupuzha resumed the search at 6.30 am on Monday and retrieved Chris’s body. After a few more hours, Aswin’s body was also found.

“Five students were at the spot. Initially, two students got caught in the current. Another boy jumped in to save them, but all three got caught in the river. One of them managed to escape,” the officer said. “The water is deep at the spot, and there is a possibility of a whirlpool,” he added.

The remaining students alerted nearby residents, who in turn informed the fire force. The boys’ parents and local residents gathered at the spot and remained there until the search was called off for the night at 1.30 am, the officer said.