Idukki: A 19-year-old youth who had gone on an outing with friends drowned in a deep pool of the Periyar River near Ayyappankovil in Kattappana here on Tuesday. The deceased is Rojin, son of Reji of Kuzhikkattu house, Manjappara, Nedumkandam.

The incident occurred at Chanthakkayam near the Ayyappankovil hanging bridge while the group was taking photographs. Rojin had arrived at the spot with five friends and entered the river around 1 pm.

According to reports, he was initially caught in the strong current but was rescued and brought to a nearby rock. However, he reportedly slipped back into the water and went missing.

The Kattappana Fire and Rescue Services were alerted around 2.20 pm. Rescue personnel launched a search operation and recovered the body from the river at around 5 pm.

The body was shifted to a hospital in Kattappana for postmortem procedures.

Rojin’s mother, Nisha, is employed in Israel. His sister, Rose Maria, is a nursing student in Bengaluru, while his brother, Roshin, is a Class 9 student.