Students of VNR College were a bit disappointed as rafting and some adventure sports they wanted to enjoy got cancelled during their trip to Himachal Pradesh. On seeing a serene water stream near Largi dam on river Beas and the scenic beauty around, they stopped for a break.
Faculty member Kiran cautioned students not to go further as they reached atop two huge boulders in the stream and engaged in conversation. He walked towards the gates of the dam and stepped into the stream. “One feet on a rock and another inside ankle-deep water, I was talking to a student when we realised the water level suddenly going up,” Mr. Kiran told The Hindu over phone on Monday. Along with the student, he jumped into the water and managed to reach the shore only to be pulled to safety by other students. Realising the threat to other students atop the boulders, he started running towards them shouting.
“By then the water level already went up by a few more feet. I could see three to four students on the boulder shouting for help. They were swept away in front of our eyes,” a sobbing Mr. Kiran said. He made it clear that there were no sirens to alert people not to venture into the water. The tour operator Prahlad, who too got washed away in the river, joined the students at Agra. Hailing from Alamooru village of Kurnool district, Prahlad operates mostly from Delhi. Mr. Kiran appealed to officials to inform Prahlad’s parents and his kin about the incident.
