Kollam, Kerala: A pall of grief has descended upon the Sports Authority of India (SAI) hostel in Kollam, Kerala, following the discovery of two teenage athletes dead in their hostel room. The girls, identified as Sandra, 17, from Kozhikode district, and Vyshnavi, 15, from Thiruvananthapuram district, were found hanging in their room on Thursday morning.

The tragic incident came to light around 5 a.m. when fellow hostel inmates noticed that the two had not reported for their scheduled morning training session. After repeated knocks on their door went unanswered, hostel authorities broke it open, only to find the girls hanging from ceiling fans.

Sandra was an athletics trainee and a Plus Two student, while Vyshnavi was a kabaddi player and a Class 10 student. According to police reports, Vyshnavi usually stayed in a different room but had spent Wednesday night in Sandra's room. Other hostel inmates had reportedly seen both girls early Thursday morning.

The Kollam East police have launched a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths. "The reason for the deaths is yet to be ascertained, and no suicide note has been recovered from the room," police officials stated. Authorities will record statements from other athletes in the hostel, their trainers, and the relatives of the deceased. The bodies will be handed over to their families after post-mortem examinations.

The incident has sent shockwaves through the sporting community and raised concerns about the well-being of young athletes in training programs. Further details are awaited as the police investigation progresses.