A picnic along the Arabian Sea went horribly wrong for a group of collegians from Pune when 13 of them drowned off the Murud-Janjira beach in Maharashtra’s Raigad district today. A search was on for 12 others who were reported missing.
The victims were part of a group of 155 students from Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Society-run Abeda Inamdar College, the police said. The tragedy happened around 4.30 pm when the picnickers decided to go for a swim. However, most of them were swept away by strong undercurrents, the police said. Around 25 students were rescued and some of them were taken to hospital in a serious condition.
The Navy and Coast Guard launched a combined operation to search for the missing persons. A Coast Guard spokesperson said 13 bodies had been recovered while a few students were untraceable. “We received information regarding students being washed away into the sea around 4 pm. Coast Guard aircraft IC117 and two hired fishing boats were deployed for search and rescue. A Coast Guard helicopter was launched and ICGS ‘Achook’ has been diverted,” the spokesperson said. The Navy also deployed two interceptor craft for the search operations. The victims, aged between 19 and 23, were pursuing BSc (computer science) and BCA courses. The group included five faculty members besides support staff from the college.
Hundreds of people, including grieving relatives of the victims, rushed to the Murud beach late this evening.
College trustee PA Inamdar confirmed that 13 students had died in the tragedy. He alleged the beach where the students had gone apparently did not have a life guard. The police said the beach with underwater rocky outcrops was unsafe for swimming.
