Rourkela, May 31: Three teenagers drowned in the Brahmani river this morning.

The deceased were identified as Somendra Nayak, a second-year diploma student at Padmanav Institute of Engineering and Technology, Akash, who had appeared for Class X examinations, and Janmejaya, who had passed ITI exam.

Six youths belonging to Kalinga Nagar situated on the Durgapur hill range, went to the river to take bath. They reached the spot near the confluence of the Sankh and Koel rivers around 10am. The place has a stony bed. Besides, there are many whirlpools at the spot and the sand bed also shifts. The youths had no idea about the topographical situation nor did they know how to swim. When they had gone to the deep end, they started drowning and shouted for help, said an eyewitness.

Local residents ran to rescue the boys, using rubber tubes and long bamboo poles, but in vain.

“We had no idea that the boys went there to take bath. When one of the boys shouted for help, we ran to their rescue, but managed to save only three of them,” said Niranjan, a local resident.

The residents rushed them to Rourkela General Hospital, where the doctors declared three of them brought dead.

On May 8, two persons from Malgodown had drowned at the same spot.