8 Students From Pune Drown While Holidaying At Beach In Maharashtra's Raigad

A horrifying tragedy struck the popular tourist spot of Diveagar beach in Raigad district of Maharashtra when eight teenage students from Pune drowned after being caught in strong sea currents. Police said the bodies of the victims, all of them 16 years old, have been recovered. These students were part of a group from a private coaching centre called Winners' Academy at Alandi in Pune district who had travelled around 170 km for the trip.

A police official said a group of 48 individuals, comprising 25 boys, 17 girls and six teachers, had gone for a picnic at the beach around 5:30 pm. Eight students ventured into the sea and were swept away after misjudging the depth of the water and current, he added.

Reacting instantly, Bhau Salunkhe, owner of 'Bhau Maruti Salunkhe Mahakali Water Sports' at Diveagar, along with his team, launched an immediate rescue operation. Risking their own lives, the water sports team managed to retrieve the bodies of all eight victims from the sea.

Upon receiving information about the tragedy, Assistant Police Inspector (API) Santosh Awati from the Dighi Sagari Borli Panchatan Police Station rushed to the spot with a team. With the assistance of local villagers, the police took custody of the bodies and sent them to the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Borli Panchatan for post-mortem examinations and required legal procedures.

The victims have been 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.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in a post on X described the incident as "extremely tragic and heart-wrenching". "The local administration is coordinating to bring their bodies to Alandi," he added.

Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan ordered a probe into the drowning, emphasising that the academy must be held accountable. The state will soon issue new safety guidelines for school trips, he said.

(with inputs by Mehboob Jamdar)