Eight students drown during picnic at Maharashtra beach
Eight 16-year-old students from a private coaching institute in Pune district drowned after entering the sea during a picnic at Diveagar beach in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, police said. The victims were part of a group of 48, and search teams recovered all eight bodies after they were swept away by the water.
Eight students drowned in the Arabian Sea during a picnic at Diveagar beach in Maharashtra’s Raigad district on Thursday, police said. The bodies of all the victims were recovered. The students, all aged 16, were studying in Classes XI and XII at a private coaching institute based in Alandi in Pune district.
They were part of a group of 48 people that travelled to the beach, including 25 boys, 17 girls and six teachers. According to a police official, eight students entered the sea and were swept away after misjudging the depth of the water and the strength of the current. The incident took place within the jurisdiction of the Dighi coastal police station.
Search and rescue teams were sent to the site after an alert was raised. They recovered the bodies of Yash Kiran Wankhede, Soham Tukaram Bhandwalkar, Tanmay Dattatray Vahile, Kaustubh Sandeep Daund, Kaivalya Satish Wasankar, Rajveer Yuvraj Vahile, Pranav Ramdas Bansod and Sumit Bharat Ahire. The beach is about 170 kilometres from Mumbai and is known for its coastline and historic temples.
The incident prompted concern about safety arrangements at the location. Shiv Sena MLA Mahendra Dalvi described the deaths as heartbreaking and blamed the local administration for what he called inadequate safety precautions. He said children might not be able to judge the dangers posed by tides, currents and water depth.
Prashant Kurhade, chairman of the Alandi Municipal Council, said some of the students came from Alandi and others from nearby Kelgaon. He said officials were contacting their families and that some parents had travelled to Diveagar. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis described the deaths as extremely tragic and painful.
He said the local administration was coordinating the transportation of the bodies to the families.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.