Five Velankanni pilgrims from Chennai drown in Kollidam river

CHENNAI: Five Velankanni pilgrims from Chennai met a tragic end while bathing in the Kollidam river in Thanjavur district, on Saturday.

They were identified as Kalaivendan (20), Kishore alias Tamilarasan (20), Manoharan (19), Anto (20), and Franklin (23), residents of Nehru Park Housing Board in Chennai's Poonamallee, as reported by Daily Thanthi.

They were among a group of seven women and 11 men who had travelled from Chennai by van to see the car procession at the famed Velankanni shrine. After that, they headed to the Poondi Madha Basilica near Thirukkattupalli and reached the place around 7 am.

They bought fish from a place near the shrine and decided to cook it. In this regard, they went to the Kollidam river nearby to clean the fish. Before preparing the meal, some of the men decided to take a dip in the river. However, they ventured into the deeper parts of the river and were swept away by the waters.

Onlookers rushed to the spot and managed to pull one person out of the water. Later, fire and rescue personnel from Thirukkattupalli, led by Officer Venkatesan, recovered two bodies. The two deceased were confirmed to be Kalaivendan and Kishore alias Tamilarasan.

By around 3:15 PM, with the help of additional personnel and local fishermen, another body, Manoharan's, was recovered from the river.

Assistant District Fire Officer in Thanjavur Murugesan too arrived at the scene to oversee rescue operations. Budalur Tahsildar Maria Joseph and Thirukkatupalli Police Inspector Jagatheeswaran assisted in speeding up the efforts.

The bodies of Andrew and Franklin, who celebrated his birthday yesterday, are yet to be found.

Thanjavur District Collector B Priyanka Pankajam visited the spot and offered condolences to the victims' kin and friends. She emphasised that safety measures would be strengthened to prevent such mishaps from happening again. The Collector also noted that warning signs prohibiting bathing in the Kollidam River were already set up.

Poondi Madha Basilica officials, Archdiocese Chancellor Samson and Vice-Chancellor Ruban Anthony Raj, also met the families of the deceased pilgrims and offered their condolences.

Former Tiruvaiyaru AIADMK MLA Rethinasamy visited the spot and consoled the kin and friends of the victims.

Meanwhile, the bodies of the three deceased were sent for an autopsy.

Rescue operations to find the other two feared drowned were halted at around 6.45 pm as it was getting dark. The search is expected to resume in the morning.