Maharashtra: 8 including students drown off Sindhudurg coast
8 people, including 7 students and a professor drowned off the coast of Maharashtra in the Sindhudurg district. Locals managed to rescue three other students who were drowning and have admitted them to hospital. Other students who were in the water managed to swim to safety. The incident took place at the Vayri Bhutnath beach near Malvan town in Sindhudurg.
How did the incident unfold?
47 students of the Maratha Mandal Engineering College at Belgaum in Karnataka were given approval for an industrial visit of a company on April 28. However, the students and 2 professors took a private bus and reached the Malvan coast a day earlier, without informing authorities. 8 of the group ventured into deep water, got caught in the current and drowned.
Who are the deceased?
Muzamil Hanigeri, Kiran Khandekar, Aarti Chavan, Avdhoot Tahshildar, Nitin Mutnadkar, Karuna Berde, Maya Kolhe, and Prof Mahesh Kudackar passed away; while, local fishermen managed to rescue Sanket Gadvi, Anita Halli, and Akanksha Ghadge.
Lapses by the authorities?
Malvan residents have alleged that there have been serious lapses on the part of authorities in the region. They said that despite three previous incidents of drowning in the same area, lifeguards were not deployed. However, deputy collector Vijay Joshi refuted the claims saying, "The students were provided with adequate help by the district administration. Even an ambulance was provided."
