Pimpri-Chinchwad: The deaths of eight students who drowned at Diveagar beach have left their classmates struggling to cope with the tragedy. Students who survived the Alandi coaching institute's picnic have been left deeply traumatised after watching their friends being swept away in the sea.
An official from the Alandi Municipal Council told The Free Press Journal that the surviving students had shown signs of illness after returning home. However, the official said most of the symptoms appeared to be related to fatigue and that the students were physically stable.
"The trauma and impact on the surviving students who came back has happened and some of them have reported signs of some illness. However, it is mostly fatigue-based. All of them are stable physically. Mentally, a toll is there, and we are available for any help which is needed," the official said.
Police in Raigad had reportedly shifted the traumatised students to a safe place before they were sent back to Alandi.
The tragedy occurred on Thursday, Oct 1, when students from Winners Academy in Alandi entered the sea during a tour to Diveagar in Raigad district. Eight students drowned in the incident.
48-member group had gone on the trip
The group comprised 42 students, including 25 boys and 17 girls, along with six teachers. They had left Alandi early on Thursday for the trip.
The students were first taken to Raigad for trekking. The group then travelled towards Diveagar, where some students entered the sea.
Students told the media that teachers had given instructions about safety before the students entered the water. However, some students reportedly ran towards the sea to play even before the preparations were complete.
Amar Adak, the director and a teacher at the coaching institute, also went towards the water. Students said pits or deep troughs had formed at different places under the water. They linked these to recent Ganesh idol immersions. Some students who had gone further into the sea reportedly got trapped in these deeper portions.
Adak was also caught in the water. Students near the shore managed to pull him out. He had reportedly swallowed water and was struggling to breathe but survived. The students further said that eight others were pulled deeper into the sea by the waves and current.
Five of them were later pulled out of the water. The bodies of two other students were subsequently seen floating in the sea, while another body was recovered during the search.
Students recall desperate rescue efforts
The surviving students said they tried to help their friends as soon as they realised they were drowning.
According to their account, five students were brought to the shore within a few minutes. They said the students still had heartbeats at the time and that teachers and students tried to provide artificial respiration and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
They also said repeated calls were made for an ambulance.
Police reached the spot and followed up regarding the ambulance, according to the students. They claimed the ambulance arrived around half an hour later.
The five students were then taken to a hospital, where doctors declared them dead before treatment could begin, according to the students' account.
However, the alleged ambulance delay and the claim that the students could have survived if the ambulance had arrived earlier have not been independently established.
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Police: Raigad team will investigate
Police Inspector Bhima Narke, in charge of the Alandi Police Station, told The Free Press Journal that an accidental death report (ADR) has been registered with Raigad Police, which will conduct the primary investigation into the deaths.
"The ADR is registered with Raigad Police and they will investigate the matter. However, their team is going to come here and do the investigation. We will definitely assist them," Narke said.
He said Alandi Police were also examining what action could be taken from their side.
"We are currently waiting for complaints from the parents or affected people and after that we will act. If no complaint is received, we will still do our investigation," Narke said.
Students return to Alandi amid trauma
The surviving students were moved to a safe place after the incident and sent back to Alandi overnight. One of the survivors, a Class XI student, also recalled the incident and spoke about losing his close friend Pranav Bansode. The Alandi Municipal Council official said the authorities were prepared to provide assistance to the students as they dealt with the aftermath.
The students were called near the coaching class at around 2.30 am on Thursday. The bus left Alandi at around 3 am. The group reached Raigad at around 9 am. After breakfast, the students went trekking. Later in the afternoon, the group reached Diveagar. At around 4.30 pm, while preparations were being made for the students to play in the sea, some of them entered the water.
The drowning incident followed soon after. News of the tragedy reached local representatives and police in Alandi between around 5.30 pm and 6 pm. Parents of the deceased students reached the area at around 2 am on Friday. Post-mortems were conducted at around 6 am. The bodies were brought back to the students' homes in Alandi around 9 am.
The eight deaths have since triggered questions over safety arrangements at the beach, supervision during the educational outing and the response after the students were pulled from the water. The investigation by Raigad Police is expected to establish the exact sequence of events and whether there were any lapses.
