Five people drown in Salem

According to police, Nagaraj (28), his wife N Prema (25) and their relative S Suganya (24), all from Ammapet, had gone to the Kandasramam temple. All the three went to take bath in the pond at a stone quarry nearby.

Though they did not know to swim, the trio moved to deeper parts of the pond without realising the danger. Those in the vicinity, who noticed them going down, raised an alarm, but all the three drowned, said the police.

On information, Kitchipalayam police went to the spot, retrieved the bodies and sent them for post-mortem to the Salem GH. Villagers claimed that many persons had drowned earlier while taking bath in the quarry. They wanted the civic authorities to fence the pond to prevent further untoward incidents.

Similarly, two boys drowned in a lake at Thuttampatty panchayat. It is said that J Vignesh (15) and S Gowtham (15), both from Tharamangalam in Salem district, had gone to a lake in Thuttampatty panchayat to learn swimming on Friday.

“The de-silting work, which is in progress, has caused uneven depth in the bed of the lake at many places. Also, there is slush in which the boys must have got trapped and died,” police said. Parents on noticing the clothes and slippers of the boys on the bunds informed the police and the fire and rescue services personnel, who came to the spot and retrieved their bodies. Tharamangalam police have registered a case.