Mangaluru: A person who had gone to pick sea shells has drowned in the sea water lake at Someshwara Uchila Bettampady end point on Sunday afternoon, July 3. A youth succeeded in rescuing two more people who were about to get drowned in the incident.

The deceased has been identified as Achyutha (43), a resident near Kumpala Balakrishna Mandira. It is learnt that he was a daily wage worker and his wife is employed in a hospital.

Achyutha had gone to Bettampady sea shore to pick sea shells accompanied by his friends Sathish and Narayana. The trio got down to the salt lake and were picking the seashells.

As sand mining is taking place in the area, there were huge holes in the middle of the lake. Unaware about it, Achyutha trekked further and got stuck in the water current and was washed away.

As his friends Sathish and Narayan did not know to swim, they tried to rescue him but failed and were in the process of drowning when Kumpala resident, Harish (36), who had come along with five people to pick the seashells saw the three men getting drowned. He immediately jumped in the water and saved the lives of Sathish and Narayana. Local Hameed who was at the shore with his boat ferried Sathish and Narayana in his boat to the shore safely.

 Ullal station police arrived and registered a complaint. Achyutha's body is yet to be recovered.