RAIGAD: They were all 16. Eight teenagers from Pune had set out for what was meant to be a day of fun by the sea. By the end of the day, their families were waiting for them to come home, only to learn that they never would.




The eight students, all from a private coaching institute in Alandi, drowned at Maharashtra's Diveagar beach on Thursday after they were swept away by the sea. All eight bodies were recovered, police said.




For the families, what began as a picnic with classmates and teachers ended in a tragedy that no parent could have imagined when their children left home.




Eight teenagers who went to the beachThe deceased were identified as Yash Kiran Wankhede, Soham Tukaram Bhandwalkar, Tanmay Dattatray Vahile, Kaustubh Sandeep Daund, Kaivalya Satish Wasankar, Rajveer Yuvraj Vahile, Pranav Ramdas Bansod and Sumit Bharat Ahire.




All eight were 16-year-old students of Classes 11 and 12 at Winners Academy, a private coaching institute in Alandi, Pune district.




What happened?A group of 48 people, 25 boys, 17 girls and six teachers, had travelled from Alandi for the picnic, according to police.




Eight students entered the sea but were swept away after apparently misjudging the depth of the water and the current, a police official said.




Diveagar, around 170 km from Mumbai, is known for its beach and historic temples and is a popular destination for visitors.




Rescuers searched for the studentsAn alert was raised after the students were swept away, following which search and rescue teams rushed to the spot.




The teams recovered all eight bodies. Police and local authorities were at the site for the necessary legal and administrative proceedings.




Families rushed to DiveagarPrashant Kurhade, chairman of the Alandi Municipal Council, said some of the students were from Alandi while others were from neighbouring Kelgaon.




“We have been contacting the families,” he told PTI, adding that some parents had already left for Diveagar.




Questions over safety at the beachShiv Sena MLA Mahendra Dalvi described the incident as “heart-breaking” and raised concerns over safety arrangements at the beach.




Dalvi said the local administration needed to take adequate precautions, pointing out that young students may not be able to assess risks such as high tide and water depth.




“Schoolchildren have no idea about the sea. It's not a pond, it's the sea,” he said, urging the local MLA and MP to look into the issue.




Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis described the deaths as extremely tragic and painful in a post on X and expressed condolences to the families.



(With inputs from PTI)