Eight students from a Pune coaching institute drowned at Diveagar beach in Maharashtra's Raigad district on Thursday, after they entered the sea during a picnic outing and were swept away by the current, police said.
The students, from Classes XI and XII of Winners Academy in Alandi near Pune, had gone to the popular Konkan beach as part of a 48-member group that included 25 boys, 17 girls and six teachers, according to police. The group appears to have misjudged the depth and strength of the water, and eight of the students were pulled in by the current. All eight bodies were later recovered.
Rescue and response
Local police and disaster-response teams rushed to the spot after the incident was reported. The drowned students were part of a larger outing that had travelled to the coastal town for the day, police said, adding that an investigation into the circumstances is underway.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde expressed condolences over the deaths. Shiv Sena MLA Mahendra Dalvi, however, blamed the local administration, saying the tragedy reflected a lack of safety precautions at the beach.
The incident has renewed questions about safety measures at Maharashtra's coastal tourist spots, where lifeguards and warning systems are often stretched during festival-season crowds. Diveagar, about 170 km from Mumbai, is among the more visited beaches in Raigad and regularly draws school and college groups from Pune and Mumbai.
Victims identified
Police said the victims have been officially identified and their families informed. Authorities did not release a cause-of-death determination beyond drowning, and said further details would follow after the completion of formalities.
Sources:
- Picnic turns into tragedy as students drown off Diveagar beach in Maharashtra's Raigad — The Hindu
- Eight Pune students drown at Diveagar beach during picnic — The Indian Express
The students, from Classes XI and XII of Winners Academy in Alandi near Pune, had gone to the popular Konkan beach as part of a 48-member group that included 25 boys, 17 girls and six teachers, according to police. The group appears to have misjudged the depth and strength of the water, and eight of the students were pulled in by the current. All eight bodies were later recovered.
Rescue and response
Local police and disaster-response teams rushed to the spot after the incident was reported. The drowned students were part of a larger outing that had travelled to the coastal town for the day, police said, adding that an investigation into the circumstances is underway.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde expressed condolences over the deaths. Shiv Sena MLA Mahendra Dalvi, however, blamed the local administration, saying the tragedy reflected a lack of safety precautions at the beach.
The incident has renewed questions about safety measures at Maharashtra's coastal tourist spots, where lifeguards and warning systems are often stretched during festival-season crowds. Diveagar, about 170 km from Mumbai, is among the more visited beaches in Raigad and regularly draws school and college groups from Pune and Mumbai.
Victims identified
Police said the victims have been officially identified and their families informed. Authorities did not release a cause-of-death determination beyond drowning, and said further details would follow after the completion of formalities.
Sources:
- Picnic turns into tragedy as students drown off Diveagar beach in Maharashtra's Raigad — The Hindu
- Eight Pune students drown at Diveagar beach during picnic — The Indian Express
