Three people drown in canal

Tirupur: Three people, including two teens, drowned in Parambikulam Aliyar Project (PAP) irrigation canal in the district on Friday.
S Tamilarasan, 16, of Andipalayam near Ponkutipalayam on Dharapuram Road, and his relative S Boopathi of Padiyur in Kangeyam were among the deceased. Boopathi, 18, came to attend a temple festival in Andipalayam. The duo along with five others went to take bath in PAP canal crossing Andipalayam despite they did not know swimming properly, a police officer said.
While all others did not cross initial stairways of the canal, Tamilarasan and Boopathi jumped into the canal and tried to swim in deeper part of the canal. They were swept away in front of others, who called for help from villagers but in vain. The teens drowned before Tirupur south fire and rescue services team arrived. The two bodies were retrieved in Krishnapuram sluice and Karuvelankattu Thottam after more than two hours of search.
Meanwhile, Rajendran, 34, of Anna Nagar near Kozhumanguzhi, and his son Prithiviraj, 10, went to take bath in the same canal. When Prithiviraj was struggling due to current, Rajendran saved him but he was swept away. The fire and rescue services team retrieved his body and sent it to the Tirupur government hospital for postmortem. The Avinashipalayam police registered a case.