Two men drowned in the Kanhan river at Mauda while taking a bath on Wednesday afternoon. The cops have launched a search operation to trace the bodies soon after the incident, police officials said.

The deceased are identified as Rahul Thombre (25), a resident of Mauda; and Umesh Thakre (27), a resident of Gorewada, Nagpur.

According to police, Rahul and Umesh are relatives. They attended a programme organised to mark the birth anniversary of Lok Shahir Annabhau Sathe on Wednesday. Soon after, they went to the river to take a bath. After taking off clothes on the banks of the river, Rahul ventured into the water and started drowning. Umesh, too, entered into the water to save Rahul but in vain and both drowned in the

river. Locals, who noticed the incident, alerted the police. Staff from Mauda Police Station rushed to the spot and launched a search operation with the help of a boat. The bodies were not traced till late evening. A case of accidental death is being registered by Mauda police.