COIMBATORE: Two students were swept away by a sudden surge of water in the Bhavani river near Mettupalayam in Coimbatore district on Tuesday.The missing students have been identified as R Kishore, 20, of K K Nagar in Mettupalayam and S Akash, 17, of Karamadai. Kishore is a second year BE mechanical engineering student at a private engineering college in Coimbatore while Akash is a Class XII student at a school in Karamadai.Police said the two reached the riverbank near the Vilamarathur water pump area around 1pm on Tuesday. They were part of a group of nine friends who gathered there to bathe in the river. The outing turned tragic when the water flow suddenly increased.Friends of the victims said Kishore and Akash were caught off guard by the sudden surge and strong undercurrents. Despite their efforts and the frantic cries of their friends, the two were quickly pulled downstream. After being alerted by the group, Mettupalayam police and fire and rescue services personnel rushed to the spot, and search operations were launched, with divers searching the area near the pump house.“The search is going on, but we are facing challenges due to the strong flow of water,” an official involved in the rescue operation said. Mettupalayam police registered a case.The Coimbatore district police have issued an advisory to the public, urging people to avoid entering river areas during periods of high flow and to refrain from bathing in high-current zones.
