Two youths die after drowning in pond

Rajkot: Two youths drowned in a pond at Gajanvav village in Dhrangadhra taluka of Surendranagar district on Tuesday. The deceased have been identified as Rachit Parmar (20) and Mohit Chhasiya (19), both residents of Amraiwadi in Ahmedabad. Police have launched an investigation.

According to police, a group of nine friends had travelled from Ahmedabad on Monday evening to attend a religious event in the village. While bathing in the pond, two of them ventured into a deeper section and drowned after stepping into a sudden drop-off. None of the youths knew how to swim.

The remaining seven raised an alarm after noticing the duo in distress and alerted villagers. Local rescuers pulled the youths out of the water before the fire brigade arrived. They were taken to a hospital, where doctors declared them dead on arrival.