Kozhikode: A 20-year-old student from the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Kozhikode, drowned at the Pathankayam waterfalls in the Iruvazhinji river, Kodenchery, on Friday. The deceased, Revand, is a native of Thammaraju Palli, Vizianagaram, in Andhra Pradesh.

The incident happened around 6 pm. Revand was part of a six-member group from the institute who had gone on a picnic to the waterfall. While bathing in the river, he reportedly ventured into a deep section and drowned.

Though his friends and local residents managed to pull him out and rush him to the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode, he was declared dead on arrival.

Pathankayam waterfalls, located near Anakkampoyil on the Kozhikode-Malappuram border, is a popular tourist destination but also known for treacherous currents and multiple past drowning incidents.

“We had installed a warning board two years ago after a similar tragedy. It is understood that the student entered a deep section of the river despite the warning,” said Alex Thomas Chembakassery, president of the local grama panchayat. “A committee has now been formed with the support of local residents to monitor the area,” he added. He also noted that the site currently lacks lifeguard services, as it has not yet been brought under the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC).

Revand’s body is kept at the Medical College Hospital mortuary and will be handed over to his family after the autopsy.