Three Dental college students drown in river near Kothamangalam while bathing

Kochi: A Sunday outing by a group of dental students ended in tragedy after three of them drowned in the Palavanpadi river at Vadattupara near Kothamangalam while bathing in the river.

The deceased were identified as Athul from Kottayam, Hareesh from Thiruvananthapuram, and Biyon from Thirumala. All three were students of Baselios Dental College in Kothamangalam and were part of a nine-member group that had travelled to the area around 12pm on Sunday.
The incident occurred in a stretch of the river located downstream of the Idamalayar Dam, an area known for sudden strong currents and dangerous deep pockets caused by periodic release of water following power generation at the dam.

According to Kuttampuzha police, the students had entered the river for bathing when Biyon reportedly slipped from a sandbar into a deeper section of the river. In an attempt to rescue him, Athul and Hareesh also got caught in the current and drowned.
“Out of the nine people, three got caught in the current,” said Eldhose Baby, Ward Member of Vadattupara. “One of the boys slipped from the sandbar, and when the two others tried to catch them, they both went down too.” 

Authorities said the area had several warning systems in place due to the dangerous nature of the river stretch. Eldhose Baby said multiple caution boards and protective measures had been installed to prevent accidents. “All types of instructions and warning boards - about eight of them - have been placed on the way there advising visitors not to venture into the water. We have also put up wire fencing. We have done everything. But the children bypassed all of it,” Baby said.

He added that the sandy riverbed made it difficult for people unfamiliar with the terrain to stay afloat. “Their feet just sank into the sand. Those who know how to swim wouldn’t have a problem, but it’s difficult for others,” he said.

The remote forest location and poor mobile network connectivity delayed the reporting of the incident. Surviving members of the group reportedly informed local residents, who then alerted emergency services. A joint rescue operation involving the fire and rescue, police and local volunteers was launched soon after. The bodies of the three students were recovered within around thirty minutes of the search operation and later shifted to Baselios Hospital.

“We received the alert around 1.30 pm. The spot was located nearly 200 metres from the main road, and the students had reached the area on two-wheelers. It is a local tourist destination surrounded by forest, with no human habitation within a two-kilometre radius,” said an official from the Kothamangalam Fire Station, whose scuba team recovered the bodies. The official said the rescue operation lasted around 24 minutes, during which the three bodies were recovered from different locations in the river. “The scuba team also encountered whirlpools and strong currents during the operation,” the officer added.

The police have registered a case of unnatural death under Section 194 of the BNSS and initiated an investigation into the accidental drowning. “We are collecting the statements of other students in the group. Relatives of the deceased students have been informed and are expected to arrive in Kothamangalam shortly,” said a police officer.