Kozhikode: A 17-year-old youth, Nigam, from Uttar Pradesh, went missing after a group of eight migrant workers were caught in strong currents while swimming in a river at Vilangad near Nadapuram on Sunday. Seven others were rescued.

According to the Nadapuram Fire and Rescue Services, the incident occurred around 2.30 pm when the group, who were spending their holiday at the river, entered the water for a swim. “When they entered the river, there were no strong currents and the water was relatively shallow. However, the current suddenly became strong. Some of them managed to swim ashore, while local residents rescued the others. Nigam, however, went missing,” a fire and rescue services official said.

The fire and rescue personnel said the department received information about the incident only later in the evening after local residents had exhausted their rescue efforts. “We carried out a search till around 7.30 pm, but due to strong currents and fading light, neither our scuba team nor our dinghy boat could be deployed. The search operation will resume at 6 am on Monday,” the official added.