Three Class 9 students drowned after being swept into deeper waters by strong waves at Rushikonda beach in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam district on Friday, police said. Their bodies were recovered later that evening and on Saturday morning.
The deceased were identified as Pilla Prashanth, Sattaruvu Suryaprakash and Sabbavarapu Ritesh, all around 14 years old and residents of the Madhurawada area.
Students had gone to beach with friends
The incident took place near IT Park Junction on Bheemili beach road, close to Rushikonda, when the students visited the beach with three other friends during the school holiday for Gandhi Jayanti.
According to police, the six boys, who were Class 9 students at a private school in Madhurawada, reached the beach at around 3pm.
Four of them entered the sea, while two others remained on the shore. The four boys were reportedly standing in knee-deep water when a large wave suddenly struck them.
One of the students, Sattaruvu Hemanth, managed to reach the shore. However, Prashanth, Suryaprakash and Ritesh were swept into deeper waters by the strong current.
Coast Guard, marine police join search
A search and rescue operation was launched after authorities were informed about the incident. Coast Guard personnel, including a helicopter, Marine Police, local police, beach lifeguards and fishermen took part in the operation.
Prashanth’s body was recovered from the sea later on Friday evening. Search teams continued looking for Suryaprakash and Ritesh through the night.
Their bodies were found after washing ashore early on Saturday morning, according to police.
Visakhapatnam City Police Commissioner Shankhabrata Bagchi reached the location after being informed about the incident and monitored the search and rescue operation.
