Munish Sood
MANDI: The bodies of two students of ITI-Thalout in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh who drowned in Parvati river near Larji on Thursday evening were recovered by a joint team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Mahadev Divers from Sundernagar on Friday (March 21, 2025) morning.
The tragedy occurred when the students, on a practical training visit to the Bihali Power Project in Sainj, entered the river for a bath but were swept away by the strong current.
Bodies recovered after intensive search operation
According to officials, the search operation began on Thursday evening after locals witnessed the students struggling in the water. However, due to poor visibility and strong water flow, rescue efforts had to be temporarily halted overnight.
On Friday morning at around 7 am, a team of expert divers from SDRF and Sundernagar resumed the operation, successfully retrieving both bodies from a pond-like section in the middle of the river within 10 minutes.
The deceased were identified as Ghanshyam Singh (17), son of Daya Ram from Kara Balichowki, Mandi, and Dharmendra Thakur (18), son of Geeta Nand from Larji. Their bodies have been sent for post-mortem, after which they will be handed over to their families.
Internship visit turns tragic
Both students were enrolled at ITI-Thalout and had arrived at Larji for practical training at the electricity board’s Bihali Power Project.
During a break in their schedule, they decided to take a bath in Parvati river. Unfortunately, they miscalculated the depth and force of the water, which led to the tragedy.
Local officials, including Larji gram panchayat head Guddu Ram Thakur and Fire Department in-charge Sher Singh Negi confirmed that the search and recovery efforts were conducted in coordination with the administration and police.
Banjar DSP Sher Singh said that further investigations are being conducted and after completing formalities, the bodies will be handed over to the grieving families.
Following the incident, authorities have issued warnings to students and locals about the dangers of bathing in rivers, particularly in areas with unpredictable currents and sudden depth variations. The administration is also considering placing warning signs and deploying local volunteers to monitor such high-risk spots.
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