A tragic accident has claimed the lives of 16-year-old twin brothers who drowned in the Muvattupuzha river. The teens had decided to take a dip to celebrate completing their school exams on Thursday. 

The brothers, Sourav and Sandeep, hailed from Thalayolaparambu in Kottayam district.  

Sourav and Sandeep had gone to bathe in the river along with a relative and a friend after their school exams had gotten over. The incident occurred near Vettikkattumukku Bridge around 2 pm on Thursday, reports Manorama Online.

It was Sourav who first started to struggle in the water, while four of them were bathing. Sandeep saw Sourav drowning and tried to save him, but he lost balance and started drowning himself. Though the relative and friend tried to help them, the duo could not be saved.

The two others who were with the brothers called for help from a nearby sawmill. Though the workers searched for the brothers, they could not be found.

Fire and rescue officials from Kadathuruthy and Kottayam arrived at the spot soon after the incident. Around 4 pm, the fire and rescue officers found the bodies of Sourav and Sandeep.  

Sandeep was studying at Vocational Higher Secondary School in Thalayolaparambu, while Sourav was a higher secondary student of KPMHS School in Poothotta. Their father, Anil Kumar, is a native of Vettikkattu Mukku in Thalayolaparambu panchayat, said a Mathrubhmi report.

The duo has a brother Sachin. Reena, their mother is a library assistant at Devaswom Board College in Thalayolaparambu.

The funeral will be held at around 2 pm on Friday.