Two young men lost their lives after jumping into the Bist Doab Canal near Mehtiana village in Hoshiarpur on Wednesday evening. Out of the three relatives who leaped into the fast-flowing waters for a swim, one was rescued by alert bystanders, while the other two were swept away by the strong currents.
The three youths, who are closely related, were on their way back home on a motorcycle after visiting a religious shrine in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh. Feeling exhausted from the journey, they decided to stop near Mehtiana village to cool off. They parked their motorcycle along the banks of the canal and dived into the water to take a dip. As soon as they entered the canal, the strong undercurrents gripped them, pulling them deep into the canal. Realising they were in grave danger, the boys began screaming desperately for help.
Hearing their cries, several bystanders rushed to the edge of the canal. Some locals plunged into the canal and managed to pull one of the boys safely back to the shore. The other two youths were carried away by the strong currents.
Local authorities and professional divers were immediately called to the scene to launch a search operation. On Thursday, divers managed to locate and recover one body.
{{/usCountry}}Local authorities and professional divers were immediately called to the scene to launch a search operation. On Thursday, divers managed to locate and recover one body.
{{/usCountry}}The deceased was identified as 17-year-old Manjinder Singh, a resident of Bathinda. The third youth, identified as Vicky, a resident of Ludhiana, remains missing.
Mehtiana station house officer (SHO) Rajinder Singh said that despite intense efforts on Thursday, the team could not locate him. An extensive search operation will be launched early Friday morning in a renewed attempt to locate Vicky’s body, police said.