Shimla, Aug 1 (IANS): Seven men belonging to Punjab drowned on Monday in the Gobind Sagar lake on the Sutlej in Himachal Pradesh's Una district while swimming, police said.
A majority of the victims were aged between 16 and 18 years.
They were part of a 11-member group that came to the lake for an excursion from Banur in Mohali district. The incident took place at around 3.40 p.m. when one of the swimmers began to drown and the others tried to save him.
However, four swimmers managed to return to safety.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur expressed grief over the incident that occurred in Androli village.
The bodies have been retrieved by divers, an official statement said.