Pune’s Alandi coaching academy sealed after 8 students drown at Diveagar beach

On Thursday, an unfortunate incident occurred at Diveagar beach in Raigad district, where eight students from Pune tragically drowned while engaging in watersports. Despite the presence of watersports operators who also assumed the role of lifeguards, no lifeguard was available on the scene at the time of the tragedy. Bhau Salunkhe, the owner of Mahalakshmi Watersports, recounted that around 4-4:30 pm, a group of students approached him for help, having rushed from the southern side of the beach to save their drowning companions.

In a desperate attempt to rescue the students, Salunkhe and his team utilized two jet skis, but their efforts proved futile as the time had run out. Out of the eight students who perished, seven bodies were recovered within half an hour, while the remaining body was found with considerable delay. The local police and village sarpanch emphasized that such incidents are not unusual at the beach, with the most recent drowning incident occurring in March, involving a person who was reportedly under the influence of alcohol.

In a letter addressed to the authorities, the sarpanch of Diveagar, Vijay Todankar, had repeatedly expressed concerns about the lack of a lifeguard and watchtower at the beach, pleading for financial support from the Maritime Board. The Panchayat had been in the process of installing a precaution board, but it was yet to be erected at the time of the incident.

An initial police investigation revealed that the deceased student was not proficient in swimming. Amar Adak, one of the owners of the coaching academy, disclosed that this was a yearly excursion for Class 11 students, which had been conducted for the past three years. The primary highlight of the trip was a visit to Raigad fort, followed by a brief beach session lasting approximately an hour.

Adak recounted that he had instructed only the students who were proficient swimmers to enter the water, while the others remained near the shore. However, the students who ventured further into the water found themselves in difficulties due to strong currents and a sudden underwater hole. Adak and his team were eventually pulled into the same predicament, resulting in the tragic loss of seven students.

The remaining student, a girl, was rescued by those with swimming skills. The coaching institute charged a fee of Rs 2,000 per participant, and parental consent was obtained through signed consent forms, with accompanying photographs. The bodies were recovered around 5:30 pm and subsequently transported to the primary health center at Borli Panchatan.

From there, they were transferred to the Shrivardhan Sub District Hospital, where post-mortem examinations confirmed that drowning was the cause of death for all eight students.