CHENNAI: A family trip to Tiruchendur ended in tragedy after two teenage girls drowned in the Tamirabarani river on Friday.

Sankara Kumar from Theni had planned to visit the Lord Murugan temple in Tiruchendur with his family. Before reaching Tiruchendur, they stopped at the Arunachala Swami Temple in Eral for darshan, according to Daily Thanthi.

After visiting the temple, his daughters, Abhinaya (16) and Meenakshi (12), went to bathe in the Tamirabarani river. Excited by the water, the girls entered a deeper part of the river and soon began to struggle.

Seeing his daughters in distress, their father jumped into the river to save them but began to drown himself. A man from Thoothukudi, who was bathing nearby, came to their rescue and attempted to save the girls and their father.

Later, the Fire and Rescue Services personnel reached the spot and recovered the two teenagers after a prolonged search. The girls’ parents and relatives were devastated as the bodies were brought to the riverbank.

They were taken to a nearby government hospital, where doctors declared them dead. The bodies were later sent to Thoothukudi Government Hospital for post-mortem examination.