2 teen sisters drown in river

Idukki: Two sisters from a family that travelled on a pilgrimage to Tiruchendur in Tamil Nadu drowned in the Thamirabarani river on Friday evening.The deceased were identified as Meenakshi (12) and Abinaya (16), daughters of Shankar and Lakshmi, grocery merchants based in Nedumkandam and natives of Theni.The family was on their way from Theni to Tiruchendur when they stopped at Arunachaleswarar Temple in Eral, Thoothukudi. The incident occurred while the children were bathing in the river near the temple, where they reportedly slipped and were swept away.After being alerted by locals, police and fire and rescue personnel rushed to the spot and launched a search operation. The bodies of both children were later recovered.The bodies were handed over to the relatives after the autopsy. TNN