CHENNAI: A 14-year-old boy drowned in the Cooum river near Kamadhenu Nagar in Tiruverkadu on Sunday, police said. The deceased was identified as S Adharva. Police said that the boy's parents work as casual labourers in Washermanpet, and the boy lived with his grandmother in Tiruverkadu.

On Sunday evening, Adharva went to play with his friends and the boys were playing by the riverbank. On seeing some of his friends jump into the river, Adharva, who did not know how to swim, also jumped in.

Before his friends could react, the boy got swept away, after which his friends called for help. Rescue personnel from the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS) reached the scene on information and secured the teenager.

He was rushed to the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.