Teenager drowns near Eroor

A teenager who had gone swimming with three friends drowned in a pond near Eroor on Friday around 12 noon.

The deceased was identified as Abhijit Sabu, 17, of Udayamperoor. The Hill Palace police said the teenager was an expert swimmer, yet could not avoid the tragedy.

Three of his friends, all Plus Two students at the Udayamperoor SNDP Higher Secondary School, had come to the victim’s house and gone out for swimming in the pond.

“Initially, Abhijit and one of his friends ventured into the water and got trapped as they reached the middle. Seeing this, the other two jumped to rescue them but could drag only the victim’s friend to safety,” police said.

The Thripunithura fire and rescue services was alerted following which a nine-member team led by station officer K. Shaji rushed to the scene. “The pond had a depth of 13-14 feet towards the middle and it took our seven-member diving team about an hour to trace the body and recover it,” said Reghu, senior fire and rescue officer who led the recovery operation.

The Hill Police have registered a case under Section 174 of CrPC for unnatural death. The body was released to the family after due formalities.