Ludhiana: In a tragic incident reported from Punjab, five youths drowned to death while bathing in Sutlej river near Kasabad village of Ludhiana district of the state on Sunday, an official said.
The bodies of the deceased are still missing even as an operation to retrieve the bodies is going on.
According to the friends of the victims, on Sunday evening, six of them whose ages range from 18 to 21 years, had come to take a bath in the river amid the prevailing heatwave. While bathing in the river, six youths were overwhelmed by the strong water current in the river. While two youths were rescued, four youths were taken away by the strong current of water, whose whereabouts are yet to be ascertained, the victims's friends said. Another youth has also drowned a short distance away from the spot which has been confirmed by the relief work teams.
The families of the victims informed the police after which a massive rescue operation was launched by the Salem Tabri police station with the assistance of divers to trace the drowned youth. The five drowned youths have been identified. Sameer Khan, Shahbaz Ansari, Sahil, Jahid and Shami.
The victims' family members have accused the police of lax rescue operation. Family members said that they searched for the drowned youths till late night, but no administration officials came forward to help them. The family members alleged that they hired a team of divers from Patiala by paying Rs 1.5 lakh.
