Vijayawada: Three civil engineering students of a local college drowned in Krishna river near Madduru village, Kankipadu mandal of Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday.
Fourth year students of VR Siddartha Engineering College Jonnalagadda - Rajesh, Lal Babu Naik and Vemuri Srikanth - all in their 20s, visited the water body on Tuesday morning as part of a civil engineering project work. The trio, along with another student, ventured into the water to cross unaware of underwater traps occurred due to sand quarrying done in the river.
"Using tripods and other equipments, the students were working for their project. Four of them tried to cross the river and three fell in the water. They got stuck in the pits beneath water dug for quarrying sand", Kankipadu sub-inspector told Deccan Chronicle.
Locals and friends who came to know of the mishap tried to save them but in vain. Police fished out bodies of Rajesh and Babu Naik while Srikanth's body is yet to be retrieved.
Rajesh is native of Nidamanuru, Babu Naik of Tadigadapa and Srikanth is from Kandukuru and all are friends, according to police.
Parents of the students were informed. A pall of gloom descended over the engineering college.
