Patiala: A 17-year-old boy was swept away by the strong currents of the Bhakra canal near Ablowal in Patiala district on Sunday after allegedly ignoring repeated warnings from local rescuers about dangerous undercurrents. Efforts to trace him were continuing till Monday evening.Shankar Bhardwaj, president of the Bhole Shankar Divers Club, said members of the rescue team had cautioned the teenager against swimming at the spot, which is known for powerful undercurrents.“We explicitly warned him that the undercurrents at that point were extremely strong and advised him to come out of the canal immediately. However, he brushed aside the warning, saying he was an experienced swimmer,” Bhardwaj said.According to him, the boy’s friends initially persuaded him to leave the canal and escorted him home. However, he allegedly returned to the spot a short while later and entered the water again.“They safely took him back home, but he returned to the canal shortly afterwards and resumed diving. He was eventually caught in the high-pressure undercurrents he had been warned about,” Bhardwaj said.Divers launched a search operation soon after the incident, but the teenager remained untraced. Bhardwaj said recovery efforts were being hampered by the canal’s strong flow.He explained that search operations in the Bhakra canal are often challenging as bodies can become trapped in underwater siphons or be carried several kilometres downstream towards Haryana or Rajasthan.Repeated attempts to contact the Civil Lines police station SHO for an official statement on the search operation and the identity of the boy were unsuccessful.The Bhakra canal, a key irrigation channel in the region, has witnessed several drowning incidents over the years. Rescue volunteers and authorities have repeatedly cautioned people against swimming or performing stunts in the canal, warning that seemingly calm waters often conceal dangerous undercurrents.With limited government rescue infrastructure stationed permanently along the canal, local volunteer groups and private divers frequently assist in search and recovery operations.
