Ponda: Two 17-year-old cousins drowned at Collem on Sunday while swimming in a river at Tambdimol, barely eight days after four youngsters lost their lives in a similar incident in the village.The victims were identified as Shivlingappa Manjunath Dandin, a resident of Gandhinagar, Collem, and Sagar Basavraj Dandin of Bagalkot, Karnataka. Both had recently cleared their Class X examinations and were preparing to begin higher secondary education.Police said Sagar had come to Collem to spend his holidays with relatives. On Sunday morning, the cousins left home, telling family members they were going out to play, and headed to the river. Shivlingappa’s younger brother accompanied them.While at the river, the younger boy noticed the two teenagers struggling in the water. He immediately ran home and alerted Shivlingappa’s father, Manjunath.With the help of local residents, Manjunath rushed to the spot and pulled the two boys from the river before informing the police.The teenagers were taken to the primary health centre at Dharbandora, where doctors declared them brought dead.Their bodies have been preserved at the South Goa District Hospital mortuary in Margao. Autopsies are awaited as members of Sagar’s family are expected to arrive from Bagalkot.Collem police have registered a case of unnatural death under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.The incident comes close on the heels of another drowning tragedy in Collem. On June 13, four friends, including three siblings, drowned in the Collem river near Metawada bridge. Two of the siblings were students of an Industrial Training Institute and had gone to the river before the start of their new academic term.
