Bodies of two school students recovered from Puzhal Lake

The bodies of two 14-year-old schoolboys who drowned in Puzhal Lake near Murugambedu on Sunday evening, were recovered on Monday afternoon.

The victims, identified as R. Akhil Ram and M. Tharun Akash, were class X students at a private school in Krishnapuram in Ambattur. They resided at Thamarai Nagar First Street in Thirumullaivoyal.

The police said that the boys had gone swimming in the lake with two classmates on Sunday evening. Akhil Ram and Tharun Akash ventured into deeper waters and drowned, while the other two managed to swim back to the shore and alert local residents.

Personnel from Pudur police station and the Ambattur Estate Fire and Rescue Services reached the spot and launched a search. Seven divers, assisted by local youths, searched the lake using specialised equipment, including thermal imaging cameras.

The operation continued late into the night but was hampered by poor visibility and challenging conditions. Divers from the Marina coastal rescue team joined the search on Monday morning. The bodies were located on the lakebed and retrieved nearly 17 hours after the operation began.

After postmortem examinations, the bodies were handed over to the families.