Two persons drowned in a check dam across Palar river at Pullur village near Vaniyambadi during idol immersion as part of Vinayaka Chathurthi festival.
Police said the deceased were identified as R. Murali, 23, and V. Poovarasan, 22, of Natrampalli town in Tirupattur. As part of the festival, more than 550 idols were placed at major towns like Ambur, Jolarpet, Tirupattur, Vaniyambadi in Tirupattur.
Along with other persons, the duo offered worship at the temple in the village. They immersed the idol in the check dam and returned to the bund of the check dam. However, Murali went a little further into the dam and tried to take a bath. As water flow in the dam gradually increased, Murali was pushed to the centre of dam. He raised an alarm for help and Poovarasan, who was near the bund, jumped into the check dam. However, he drowned. Based on an alert, Timmampattu police and firefighters from Kuppam (A.P) rushed to the spot and retrieved the bodies, which were sent to Government Taluk Hospital in Vaniyambadi. A case has been registered.