From correspondents in Madhya Pradesh, India, 01:00 PM IST

Two students of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Indore drowned in the Choral river near the city while on a picnic. The bodies were recovered Sunday, police said.

Nitesh Agrawal and Neha Singh, both second year postgraduate students of IIM, had gone to the picnic spot near Choral Dam, 20 km from Indore, along with two other friends Saturday evening.

The two reportedly went and sat on a stone in the middle of the river despite warnings from villagers and were swept away by strong currents. The accident occurred at around 6.30 p.m.

'The water came gushing from the mountains to the river. Villagers had warned the students to come out of the water but they didn't listen. The water came with so much force that it swept them away,' a police official said.

Their screams for help were muffled by the sound of the gushing water and all attempts to save them were in vain as darkness hindered rescue work.

'Army divers from Mhow town near Indore and a fire brigade team were pressed into service to trace the bodies. While Nilesh's body was recovered early Sunday from nearby bushes, Neha's body was found later at around 10 a.m. by the rescue team,' said Fire brigade Town Inspector Y.S. Solanki.

While Nilesh hailed from Delhi, Neha was from Hyderabad.

As many as 80 people have died at the Choral picnic spot in the last five years and five deaths were reported in the past week alone, police said.

Two students of a private dental college had drowned in the river Thursday.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)