8 16-year-old students from Alandi in Pune died after being swept away at sea during a picnic at Dighi-Sagari beach in Diveagar, Maharashtra's Raigad district, on Thursday.
The students were part of a 48-member group from Winners Academy for 11th and 12th in Alandi. The group consisted of 25 boys, 17 girls and 6 teachers. During the outing, 8 students entered the sea and were carried away after misjudging the water's depth and current.
Rescue and police response
Bhau Maruti Salunkhe, owner of Bhau Maruti Salunkhe Mahakali Water Sports in Diveagar, began a rescue operation with his team. The water-sports workers recovered the bodies of all 8 students.
After being informed about the incident, Assistant Police Inspector Santosh Awati of Dighi-Sagari Borli Panchatan police station reached the location with a team. Local villagers assisted the police in taking custody of the bodies. They were then sent to the primary health centre at Borli Panchatan for -mortem examination.
Students identified
The deceased students were identified as Tanmay Dattatray Vahile, Sumit Bharat Ahire, Pranav Ramdas Bansode, Kaivalya Satish Vasankar, Rajveer Yuvraj Vahile, Yash Kiran Wankhede, Soham Tukaram Bhandwalkar and Kaustubh Sandeep Daund.
Officials confirmed that all 8 students were residents of Alandi in Pune and were 16 years old. Investigators said further action in the case is continuing.
Similar drowning incident in Jharkhand
The Maharashtra incident came a few days after 3 young children died after drowning in a pond in Chegayadih village, within the Jamtara Sadar police station area of Jharkhand.
The children had gone out to play together in the afternoon and later moved towards a village pond in the Chirkutola area. Local residents said they drowned while playing. Villagers reached the spot after receiving information and pulled them from the water, but all 3 had died by then.
Conclusion
The Diveagar incident involved 8 students from the same Pune group. Police have taken custody of the bodies and sent them for -mortem examination, while further action is continuing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Where did the students drown?
The students drowned at Dighi-Sagari beach in Diveagar, in Maharashtra's Raigad district.
Q. How many students died in the Diveagar incident?
8 students died after entering the sea during the picnic.
Q. How old were the students?
All 8 students were 16 years old.
Q. Where were the students from?
The students were residents of Alandi in Pune.
Q. Who recovered the bodies?
A team from Bhau Maruti Salunkhe Mahakali Water Sports recovered all 8 bodies.
Q. What happened to the bodies?
Police took custody of the bodies and sent them to the Borli Panchatan primary health centre for -mortem examination.
Q. Is further action continuing?
Yes. Investigators said further action in the case is continuing.
