Four girl students of a government school in Tamil Nadu's Pudukottai district were drowned in the Cauvery river near Mayanur on Wednesday. All the deceased are aged between 11 and 13 years.
According to police, initially one of the students was caught in the swirl. The other three girls tried to help her but they were also got dragged into the river due to the heavy flow of water.
Police said a group of students from the Government Middle School in Viralimalai had come for an excursion trip to Mayanur in Karur district. After some sports activities, they decided to take bath in the river.
On information about the mishap, the Fire and Rescue Services and the police rushed to the spot and in the search operation four bodies were recovered.
The deceased were identified as Tamilarasi, Sophika, Iniya and Lavanya.
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has condoled the death of the students and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to their families. School headmaster Potumani and teachers Thilagavathi and Ibrahim, who had accompanied the students, have been placed under suspension.