Bhubaneswar, Jul 12 (IANS): Four college students drowned while taking a bath in the Kuakhai River near Dhabalahara under Balianta Police station on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, police said on Wednesday.

According to the police, nine friends from Astha School of Management had gone to Dhabalahara to have a feast on Tuesday. After the feast, four of them returned to their college while five others went to Kuakhai to take a bath.

While bathing all five youths were swept away by the strong current of the river. However, one of them was rescued alive by locals.

On getting information fire service and Balianta police station personnel conducted a rescue operation and fished out the bodies of two youths on Tuesday evening while other two bodies were recovered on Wednesday, said Dillip Jena, scuba diver of Odisha fire service.

Due to strong current in the river water, the students went about 100 meters away from their bathing site. About 25 to 30 feet depth was there in the river from where the two bodies fished out today, he said.

The deceased are identified as Ariyan Mishra from Jharkhand, Kumar Abinash & Prateek Dhalasamant from Cuttack and Rohit Parida from Balasore district, sources said.

Sharmila Subramanian, principal of Astha School of Management, said, “At present internship of the students is going on and every student is going to a company for the internship. They have been permitted to visit their company till 7 to 7.30 p.m.”

A committee has been constituted to conduct an investigation and submit its report. The concerned companies have been asked to know whether any leave was granted to the students or not, she said.