Angul, Aug. 2: Three young engineers employed with Jindal Steel Plant here were drowned last night in a tank near Mahitala village under Nisha police station.

Police said the deceased Sameer Nigam, 27, was from Uttar Pradesh, while Avtar Singh Saroya, 25, and Manoj Yadav, 31, were from Punjab and Rajasthan, respectively.

The three, along with their colleague Aved Kasam, went to have dinner near a tank at Mahitala village, 20 km away from here.

The police said Kasam was the first to leave the place. On his way back, his motorbike developed some snag and he went back to take the help of his friends.

"On reaching the place I could not find them though their motorcycles, mobiles and other belongings were lying there. However, at a distance, I saw their shoes lying on the bank of the tank. I immediately informed the police and company guards about the incident," he said.

"The Nisha police rushed to the spot and started search operations in the night. Their bodies were recovered from the tank in the morning. They were taken to Angul hospital, where doctors declared them dead. The bodies were sent for post mortem and three unnatural death cases have been registered," said Angul sub-divisional police officer Rabindra Nath Deo.

A spokesperson for Jindal Steel Plant expressed shock at the incident.