Mumbai: Thursday's drowning of eight students at Diveagar beach was the first such incident reported at the popular seashore, according to police. Following the incident, the Dighi Coastal Police have asked the Diveagar gram panchayat to put up warning boards cautioning visitors against entering deep waters.
Tourism Activities Yet To Resume
“This is the first such incident reported at the Diveagar beach. The beach generally sees a large number of visitors and water-sports operators, but tourism activities had not resumed after the monsoon. The stretch where the students entered the sea was empty at the time of the incident,” said API Santosh Awati. So usually water sports people warn people from going into the deep water, said police.
Awati said the Mahakali Water Sports team that helped in rescuing the students was operating along a different stretch of the coastline.
47 People Were On Academy Trip
An accidental death report (ADR) was registered at Dighi Coastal Police Station following the incident. According to the police record, 47 people from Winners Academy, an academy for Classes 11 and 12 Science at Alandi Devachi in Pune district, had visited Diveagar as part of a trip. The group comprised 24 boys, 18 girls, one female teacher, two male teachers and the wives of the two teachers.
At around 5.30 pm on Thursday, eight students entered the sea to swim. Police have recorded that the students failed to gauge the depth of the water and, as they could not swim, drowned after being swept into deeper waters.
Eight Students Identified
The deceased were identified as Tanmay Dattatray Wahile (17), Sumit Bharat Ahire (17), Pranav Ramdas Bansode (17), Kaivalya Satish Wasankar (17), Rajveer Yuvraj Wahile (17), Yash Kiran Wankhede (16), Soham Tukaram Bhandwalkar (17) and Kaustubh Sandip Daund (17). All eight were residents of Alandi Devachi in Khed taluka, Pune district.
The incident was reported to the Dighi Coastal Police, following which the ADR was registered. Awati is conducting the further inquiry. Additional Superintendent of Police Abhijit Shivthare and Shrivardhan Sub-Divisional Police Officer Raju Sonawane visited the spot.
Minister Calls Incident ‘Tragic’
Meanwhile, Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan said the incident was extremely tragic and directed the administration to act sensitively and remain in contact with the bereaved families.
Mahajan said he had spoken to the Raigad district collector and superintendent of police and directed them to conduct a detailed inquiry and establish responsibility, including that of the academy's office-bearers. He said strict action should be taken against those found responsible.
The minister also said institutions organising excursions to beaches, dams and lakes must take complete responsibility for students' safety. He said the concerned institution should ascertain whether students knew swimming and ensure that they did not enter deep water.
Mahajan also announced that the government would issue guidelines for private coaching classes, schools and other institutions organising educational or recreational trips. The guidelines will focus on making institutions responsible for the safety of students whenever they are taken outside their premises.
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