CHENNAI: Three college students, all of them Ayyappa devotees, drowned in a mutt pond in Tiruporur on Monday.

The deceased were identified as Mukesh (18), Vijay (18) and Udayakumar (19), all from Sathankuppam near Kelambakkam and were friends since childhood. Mukesh and Vijay were studying Bcom in a private college in Padur while Udayakumar was a second year Bcom student at another private college. Police said all of them were Ayappa devotees and had planned on visiting Sabarimala next month.

On Monday afternoon they went to the temple pond in Tiruporur and were talking on the steps of the pond. Police said there was high volume of water to the recent rains. While they were talking, one of them lost their balance and fell inside the pond. To save their friend, the other two immediately jumped into the pond but all three got stuck in the muddy water and subsequently drowned.

The Kelambakkam police reached the spot after receiving information and the rescue team also rushed to the site and retrieved the bodies in the evening. The police have sent the bodies for post-mortem to the Chengalpattu GH and have registered a case. Further investigations are on.