Three children drown while bathing in the river in Paravur

The local residents informed police after seeing cycles, clothes and footwear lying on the river banks for a long time.

Ernakulam:Three children drowned while taking a bath in a river in Paravur near Thattukadavu bridge on Saturday. All three were cousins. The bodies were recovered by the police after conducting searches till late last night.

Police said that the deceased Sreeveda (10), Abhinav (13) and Sreerag (13) had left their home at around 2 pm and had gone to take a bath in the river. Sreeveda is daughter of Pallamthuruth Marottikkal Biju and Kavita. Sreevada's cousin brother Abhinav is son of Kavita's brother Mannath Thaliyilapadam Vinu and Nita. The other cousin, Sreerag is son of Kavita's sister Vinita and Rajesh.

The children had gone to visit their relative's house and had left to take a bath in the river without informing their family. All three knew swimming but the accident could have happened due to fast moving currents or unexpected change in water depths, police said. The children got unnoticed as they were under the Thattukadavu bridge.

After finding the children missing from home, their families started searching for them in the locality. Meanwhile, the local residents noticed cycles, clothes and footwear lying on the banks of the river for a long time. They informed the police.

After reaching the spot, police began a search operation. They first found Sreeveda's body in the evening while Abhinav's body was found at night. Finally, Sreerag's body was found after searching till late at night.

Notably, a total 40 vulnerable drowning spots have been identified in Ernakulam by the state fire and rescue department. According to the police, maximum victims are children and youngsters and have issued an advisory to avoid deaths by drowning.