Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi
Udupi, Jun 18: The bodies of Nikila from Hyderbad and Chandra Mauli from Bangalore, who got drowned following their boat adventure in the early hours of Saturday June 16, have been retrieved.
Nikila and Chandra, students of MIT Manipal along with their friend Shaunak had been on a midnight boat ride at Manipal lake, reportedly without the permission of the boat owner. Midway, the boat sank and Nikila and Chandra lost their lives, while Shaunak swam back to safety.
Nikhila's body was fished out on the day of the incident, at around 4 pm. However, Chandra's body was nowhere to be found. Next day early morning, policemen who were on guard around the lake noticed Chandra's body floating on the water surface. By 6.30 pm, the body was sent for post-mortem.
Both the bodies were later handed over to the families of the deceased.
Strangely enough, the peddle boat which the trio had used for the ride is still to be found. Though bodies have recovered, there is no sign of the boat on the lake! There are altogether three peddle boats at the lake, of which one is missing. At the time of the incident, it is said that water entered the boat through a hole in the boat, and as a result the boat sank. But being made of a plastic body, it should have surfaced. The police suspect that the boat may have got stuck in the mud at the bottom of the lake. Police will continue their search till the boat is found.
What is even more striking, the death of neither the boy nor the girl was due to 'drowning', as no water entered their bodies. Udupi SP Borelingaiah said that both Nikhila and Chandra may have died of shock even before falling into the water. Only a medical report can throw more light on this, he added.