CHENNAI: A 47-year-old man and his 21-year-old son drowned in a farm well while fishing near Maduranthakam on Saturday evening.
The deceased have been identified as Amulraj (47) and his son Joseph (21), residents of Nelvai Palayam village near Maduranthakam.
Police said the duo had left home on Saturday evening, telling family members they were going to the fields to bathe. When they did not return by night, the family searched nearby farmlands but found no trace of them.
On Sunday morning, the family resumed the search and learned the two had been fishing in a large, unused ground well in the fields. As the well was deep and dilapidated, villagers could not enter to look for them.
On information, fire and rescue personnel reached the scene and entered the well on Sunday afternoon and recovered both bodies. The bodies were sent to the Maduranthakam Government Hospital for postmortem examination.
Preliminary police inquiry revealed that Amulraj did not know how to swim. Police suspect Amulraj to have fallen into the well accidentally, and Joseph is believed to have jumped in to rescue his father and drowned as well. The Maduranthakam police have registered a case and are investigating further.