Mangalore: Two men drowned in River Phalguni at Mullarapatna in Bantwal taluk, near here, during the immersion of Sharada idol on Wednesday night.

The deceased have been as Satish Bhandari, 35, a resident of Kuppepadavu and Yogish Pujari, 25, of Nelyalachchil village. While the body of Bhandari was recovered by Thursday evening, the search continues for the body of Pujari.

According to the soures, the incident occurred when the idol of Sharadadevi was brought for immersion in the river Wednesday night. Only four people ventured into the river with the idol of whom two drowned.

Hundreds of people who had gathered for the religious rituals helped in the rescue efforts. Police and fire brigade personnel also rushed to the spot. Bajpe police, Bantwal rural police, expert divers and fire brigade personnel intensified their search for the bodies, and managed to locate Satish on Thursday evening.

Lakshmana Sapalya, who survived in the tragedy, said he was washed away in the high currents of the river and swam to safety near Karmaragundi.