Coimbatore: In a tragic incident at Aliyar Dam on Friday morning, three students lost their lives after drowning during a picnic outing. The deceased have been identified as P Tarun, Revanth M, and Joseph Anto. All three were fourth-year students of Saveetha College of Physiotherapy in Chennai. The trio had reportedly entered the water to bathe.

According to the police, 29 physiotherapy students from a college in Chennai had arrived to visit the popular tourist spots in Aliyar and Valparai.

"This morning, at around 9 am, the students were visiting the nearby Aliyar reservoir. One of the boys, while bathing, fell into a deep area near a bridge," police told PTI.

"The students ventured into an area that is not typically used by locals for bathing due to its depth. Another student, attempting to help his friend, also drowned. A third student, seeing his friends struggling in the water, tried to rescue them but also fell into the deep area and drowned," the police added.

About an hour later, with the help of locals and personnel from the Fire and Rescue department, the bodies were recovered.

The bodies were sent to the government hospital in Pollachi for an autopsy, police added.

(with inputs from PTI)