Nagapattinam (Tamil Nadu) [India], October 15 (ANI): Two tourists from Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul district drowned after being swept away by a powerful wave while bathing in the sea at Velankanni Beach in Nagapattinam district on Thursday, police said.
The deceased have been identified as Vincent and Maria, who were part of a group of 15 tourists from Kodaikanal visiting Velankanni for a holiday.
According to information received, the group, comprising four men, six women and five children, arrived in Velankanni on October 12 and was staying at a lodge on Ariyanattu Street. The tourists had been visiting various places in the area during their stay.
The incident occurred at around 3 pm on Thursday when Vincent and Maria were bathing in the sea at Velankanni. A sudden, powerful wave swept them away one after the other, causing them to drown.
After hearing cries from people on the shore, Velankanni coastal police personnel rushed to the spot and launched a recovery operation.
Police personnel recovered Vincent’s body, while Velankanni Fire and Rescue Services personnel retrieved Maria’s body. Both bodies were subsequently brought ashore.
The bodies were sent to Nagapattinam Government Medical College Hospital for post-mortem examinations.
Velankanni police have registered a case and launched a detailed investigation into the incident. The deaths of the two tourists during their holiday have left the area in mourning.
Meanwhile, in Pune, eight students of Winners Academy in Alandi, Pune, drowned in the sea off Diveagar beach in Raigad district on Thursday (October 2) during a school picnic, police said.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Raju Sonawane said teachers and students from the academy had visited Diveagar Beach and entered the sea.
“Today, teachers and students from ‘Winners Academy’ in Alandi, Pune, visited Diveagar Beach. They ventured into the sea but failed to accurately gauge the water conditions and the result was that eight students lost their lives,” Sonawane told ANI.
Local residents gathered outside Winners Academy in Alandi town of Pune late Thursday night after the incident.
Maharashtra Minister Bharatshet Gogawale visited the hospital in the district where the deceased students were taken. He said the authorities would send the bodies to their respective villages after post-mortem.
“It is a tragic incident. We will send the bodies back to the students’ villages after the post-mortem… We are working out a way to send the rest of the people back to their places,” Gogawale told ANI.
Pimpri-Chinchwad ACP Yogesh Ranjankar said police are coordinating with the Raigad administration. (ANI)
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