In a tragic incident, four students from Tamil Nadu who were studying in the Volgograd State Medical University in Russia drowned in the Volga river while taking a dip on Saturday.
The four medical students, Mohammed Ashiq of Tiruppur district, R. Vignesh (Cuddalore), Manoj Anand (Salem) and Stephen (Chennai) were swept away by the current, Chief Minister K. Palaniswami said on Monday.
The CM said he has directed senior government officials to immediately get in touch with the External Affairs Ministry and the Indian embassy in Russia, and arrange for bringing back the bodies of the four who drowned in the Volga river.
After the first student entered the water, he found himself in trouble and cried for help. When the others tried to help him, they were also swept away by the current.
The students had gone to the river with seven others. Immediately after the incident, senior students got in touch with Russian emergency contacts, the uncle of one of the students was reported as saying by PTI.
Expressing his heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the bereaved families, Palaniswami said he was "extremely anguished" over the news of the death of the four students on August 8. The family of Manoj Anand had petitioned Palaniswami in Salem on Sunday requesting him to take steps to bring his body back to the country.
Many Indian students study at the Volgograd State Medical University.
In a separate incident, a gas station in Volgograd blew up on Monday, injuring 14 including multiple firemen who were attempting to rescue those caught in the blaze.
With inputs from PTI
