#students drown

Firefighters from Karur and Musiri who arrived at the spot deployed coracles and launched a search operation. 

KARUR:  Four girl students of Viralimalai Government Middle School in Pudukkottai who went to Tiruchy to take part in a football tournament drowned in the Cauvery near Mayanur Barrage in Karur district on Wednesday. 

Teachers Jaya Sakapiyun and Thilakavathi of the school located at Pilipatti village took 15 students of Classes 6, 7 and 8 in a van to participate in the state-level football tournament held at Kongunadu Engineering College at Ezhurpatti in Tiruchy district on Wednesday. As the barrage is on the way from the college to Viralimalai in Pudukkottai, the group decided to take bath in the river around 10am, sources said.  

All the 15 girls and the teachers waded through the water to reach the centre of the river.Suddenly, Tamilarasi of Class 8, Sophia of Class 7, and Ilakkiya and Lavanya of Class 6 started drowning, sources said. Hearing the group’s cry for help, residents from nearby areas informed the fire and rescue services department. Firefighters from Karur and Musiri who arrived at the spot deployed coracles and launched a search operation. 

‘Victims ignored PWD warning board’

A few of the personnel also jumped into the river in search of the girls. After a few hours, bodies of the four victims were retrieved from the river, sources said. Karur collector Dr T Prabhushankar and superintendent of police Sundaravathanam, who inspected the rescue operation, said the victims had entered the waters ignoring a warning by PWD mentioning to refrain from the river as it was dangerous with many deep spots.

Prabhushankar said to reporters, the other 11 girls rescued were stationed in a secured room.“The district administration has taken steps to send them to their homes safely. Bodies of the four victims have been sent to Karur Government Medical College Hospital for autopsy. “The bodies will be handed over to their families after postmortem,” he said.

Chief Minister MK Stalin late on Wednesday announced a solatium of Rs 2 lakh each to the victims’ families. The school’s headmaster, Potumani, and the two teachers who accompanied the girls were suspended by the education department on Wednesday. Meanwhile, parents and relatives of the girls staged a protest in Pudukkottai and refused to receive the bodies saying they were not informed nor their permission was not sought for carrying out the autopsy. A probe is on.