Four teenagers drowned in the Khutiya river in ward 9 of Godawari Municipality, Kailali, on Thursday afternoon.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Rana Bahadur Chand of the Area Police Office, Malakheti, the deceased are 17-year-old Sakshyam Joshi, 16-year-old Jewa Bhandari, 17-year-old Jabeb Bhandari from ward 4 of Dhangadhi Sub-metropolitan City, and 15-year-old Pratik Chaudhary.

DSP Chand said the group had gone to celebrate a friend’s birthday. While swimming in the river, they attempted to cross by holding hands of each other but got trapped in a strong current. When their grip broke, three managed to get out safely. He said that the teens went missing around 12:30pm, and their bodies were recovered at 4:30pm with the help of locals, Nepal Police, and the Armed Police Force.

Three other teens—17-year-olds Naveen Dadal, Yuvaraj Kunwar, and Aakash Malla—escaped safely. Police said three of the deceased were students of Balmiki International School and one of Galaxy School, all in grade 11. The incident has left the local community in mourning.