Mysore/Mysuru: Two students, who had gone for a swim in a lake were drowned at Sahukarahundi in the taluk yesterday. The deceased students are Varun (16), son of Prasanna and Jaswanth (14), son of Dhananjaya, residents of Hootagalli here. Their friend 14-year-old Avinash, who was also swimming with them, has swam back to safety.

Yesterday being a holiday, Varun, a first year PUC student of SVEI in city, along with Jaswanth and Avinash, students of Narayana School in city, went to the lake on bicycles in the morning and swam in the lake.

They came home in the afternoon, had lunch and again went to the lake at about 4 pm and ventured into the lake and were swimming when Varun and Jaswanth drowned. Avinash, who was swimming at a distance, is said to have swam back to safety.

Shocked on seeing his friends drowning, Avinash took his cycle and pedalled to a distance and informed the local residents. By the time the local residents rushed to the lake, Varun and Jaswanth were drowned.

Yelwal SI Manjunath Nayak and staff, who rushed to the spot, summoned Fire & Emergency Services personnel. Circle Inspector Shivananjashetty also arrived at the spot and conducted an inspection. Though Police and Fire & Emergency Services personnel conducted a search operation to fish out the bodies, the bodies could not be traced. Later, expert swimmer Doddaswamynayaka of Yelwal, fished out the bodies at about 7 pm.

Local residents said that it was for the first time that they had seen the three boys at the lake. The bodies were shifted to MMC&RI mortuary in city where post-mortem was conducted this morning and the bodies were handed over to the family members. Yelwal Police have registered a case.