3 engineering students drown as car plunges into canal in East Godavari

East Godavari: Three college students drowned while three others sustained serious injuries when the car they were travelling in plunged into a canal in East Godavari district on Sunday.

The car was being driven at high speed and the four-seater hatchback was carrying persons beyond the its limit.

The deceased were identified as D Harshavardhan, T Hemant, and K Udaya Kiran, all aged 19. According to the police, six youths studying in a private engineering college in the nearby Eluru district went on a vacation on August 4 to Maredumilli, a nature retreat nestled amid the Eastern Ghats.

“While returning in their hatchback on Saturday night, the car had crossed Korukonda town when the driver lost control of the speeding vehicle and plunged it under a bridge into a canal past midnight,” said Korukonda circle inspector G Umamaheswararao.

The injured youth were rushed to a hospital where they are receiving treatment. In the accident, the driver survived with minor injuries as he was apparently wearing his seat belt. The bodies were taken to Rajamahendravaram Government Hospital for post-mortem after they were recovered from the canal with the help of police and expert swimmers.

A case was registered and an investigation is underway.