Mumbai, October 1: A picnic turned into a tragedy at Diveagar beach in Maharashtra’s Raigad district after eight students from Pune drowned in the sea on Thursday.
The students were part of a larger group from Winners Academy, a coaching institute in Alandi, Pune district. The group had 48 people, including 25 boys, 17 girls and six teachers, who had travelled to Diveagar for an outing.
According to police, eight students entered the sea and were swept away by strong currents. They reportedly misjudged the depth and conditions of the water. An alert was raised soon after, following which local residents, water-sports operators and rescue personnel began searching for them.
Rescue teams managed to recover all eight bodies from the sea. The victims were taken to the Primary Health Centre at Borli Panchatan, where doctors declared them dead, police said.
The deceased students were identified as Tanmay Dattatray Vahile, Sumit Bharat Ahire, Pranav Ramdas Bansode, Kaivalya Satish Wasankar, Rajveer Yuvraj Vahile, Yash Kiran Wankhede, Soham Tukaram Bhandwalkar and Kaustubh Sandeep Daund.
The students were reportedly studying in Classes XI and XII. The news of their deaths left their families, friends, teachers and classmates in deep shock and mourning.
Police and local authorities reached the spot and carried out the necessary procedures. An investigation has also been initiated to determine the circumstances that led to the students entering the sea and the subsequent drowning.
The incident has renewed concerns about safety arrangements during student excursions to beaches and other tourist destinations. Questions are also being raised about supervision and precautions taken during such outings, particularly at locations where sea currents can change quickly.
Maharashtra Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan has ordered an inquiry into the incident. The state government is also expected to review safety measures for school and student excursions and consider additional guidelines to prevent similar incidents.
Local residents and representatives have called for stronger safety arrangements at Diveagar beach, including clearer warnings about dangerous sea conditions, closer monitoring of visitors and better-equipped rescue facilities.
