Kannur: Three medical students from Karnataka drowned while bathing in the sea off Payyambalam Beach in Kannur on Sunday. The deceased have been identified as Afnan, Rahanudeen, and Afraz, all students of a medical college in Bengaluru. The trio had come for a picnic with friends and were staying at a nearby resort.

Former ward member P V Jayasooryan said five students had gone swimming, of whom three got caught in the waves. According to Kannur Fire and Rescue personnel, the first two students were retrieved immediately and rushed to the hospital but were declared brought dead.

“We received the alert around 12.03 pm. Although we found the first two students quickly, it took us about 40 minutes to locate the third,” a rescue official said. The bodies have been sent to Kannur District Hospital for postmortem examination.