Two cousins drown while making reel at Pahuj Dam

As they moved deeper into the water trying to reach a rock, both were swept away by the strong current and drowned within minutes

: Two young men drowned while trying to make a reel for social media at the overflowing Pahuj Dam in Jhansi on Sunday evening. The victims were identified as Rishabh Sijauria, 26, a BTech student, and his cousin Abhishek Verma,24. Both were residents of Khati Baba, Premnagar close to Jhansi.

The bodies were recovered by divers on Monday morning. (For representation only)

The two cousins had gone to the dam for a picnic along with a friend, Shikhar. After arriving, Rishabh and Abhishek entered the river to take a bath. They asked Shikhar, who stayed on the bank as he could not swim, to record a video of them while they were in the water. As they moved deeper into the water trying to reach a rock, both were swept away by the strong current and drowned within minutes.

Shikhar raised an alarm, and some passers-by tried to help but were unable to due to the strong flow of water. Police and fire brigade teams arrived quickly, but rescue efforts were called off due to poor visibility after sunset. The bodies were recovered by divers on Monday morning.

A bottle of alcohol and some snacks were found at the site.Both bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination. “The men had gone for a party and later on two of them who had gone inside the river for attempting to make a reel got drowned,” said SP city Gyanendra Kumar Singh. Rishabh was the only son in a family of six sisters. His mother, Kashibai, had raised him alone after the death of his father. The news of his death has left the family in deep sorrow.