8 students drown during Pune coaching class trip to Raigad beach, 7 bodies found
A picnic turned into a tragedy in Maharashtra’s Raigad district after eight students from a private coaching academy in Pune drowned while swimming at Diveagar beach on Thursday. All eight bodies have been recovered and the students were declared dead.
The group of 48 -- comprising 25 boys, 17 girls and six teachers from Winners Academy for 11th & 12th in Alandi, Pune -- had arrived at Dighi Sagari in Diveagar for a tour.
According to authorities, the students entered the sea to swim when eight of them were swept away. The students were reportedly unable to accurately judge the current and depth of the water.
Rescue operations were launched immediately after the incident, with local residents, police and the administration joining the search. All eight bodies were subsequently recovered.
The deceased students have been identified as Tanmay Dattatray Vahile, Sumit Bharat Ahire, Pranav Ramdas Bansode, Kaivalya Satish Wasankar, Rajveer Yuvraj Vahile, Yash Kiran Wankhede, Soham Tukaram Bhandvalkar and Kaustubh Sandeep Daund.
All eight students were 16 years old and residents of Alandi in Pune.PROMPT ACTION BY LOCAL WATER SPORTS OPERATOR
As news of the incident spread, panic broke out among local residents and tourists. Bhau Maruti Salunkhe, owner of Bhau Maruti Salunkhe Mahakali Water Sports in Diveagar, and his team immediately launched a search operation.
Risking their own lives, Bhau Salunkhe and his team made relentless efforts to retrieve the bodies of all eight students from the water.
Upon receiving information about the tragedy, Assistant Police Inspector Santosh Awati from the Dighi Sagari Borli Panchatan Police Station rushed to the spot with his team. With the help of local villagers, the police recovered the bodies and shifted them to the Primary Health Centre in Borli Panchatan for further medical and legal procedures.
Police have registered a case in connection with the incident, and further investigation is underway.- Ends
