Bathinda, July 5

Three youths who had gone to take a bath in a canal drowned at Bhagta Bhai Ka, near here, this evening.

As per information, a group of youngsters had gone to the canal to get respite from the hot and humid weather. However, three youths were swept away by the strong current. Their associates raised the alarm and tried to rescue them, but to no avail. The deceased have been identified as Navdeep Singh, Vivek and Pavitar Singh, all under 20 years of age. Vivek was the only child of his parents. The victims apparently didn’t know how to swim and were holding a rope while taking a bath. Owing to the strong current, they lost grip on the rope and were swept away. — TNS