Eight students drown during picnic at Diveagar beach

Eight students from Winners Academy in Alandi, Pune district, drowned at Diveagar beach in Raigad district during a picnic on Thursday, police said. All eight bodies were recovered, according to police accounts. The students were in Class XI and XII and were part of a 48-person group that included 25 boys, 17 girls and six teachers, a police official said. The group had travelled from Alandi for the outing. The reports do not establish the students’ individual ages. Police said the eight students entered the sea and were swept away after misjudging the water’s depth and the strength of the current. The explanation is attributed to police; the supplied accounts provide no independent findings on the precise circumstances of the drownings. Local residents, police personnel and rescue teams joined the search. A water-sports operator and team also participated, according to reports, though accounts do not clarify how the recovery work was divided among responders. Police said all eight bodies were recovered. Some accounts said they were taken to the primary health centre in Borli Panchatan for postmortem examinations and legal procedures.