Eight students of Alandi academy drown at Diveagar beach in Raigad during school trip

Eight students died in a tragic accident at Diveagar in Raigad on Thursday evening. The students of Winners Academy, Alandi, who were on a school trip, drowned in the sea.

A total of 42 students and two teachers of the academy had gone to visit Raigad and Diveagar. After reaching the Diveagar beach, eight students entered the water and drowned. Local residents said the accident happened because the students could not gauge the water.

The bodies were first taken to the Borli primary health centre. From there they were sent to the sub-district hospital in Shrivardhan for post-mortem. Relatives reached the spot from Pune late at night. The post-mortem was then completed and the bodies were sent towards Pune.

On hearing of the deaths, the parents and relatives of the children set out for Raigad. Relatives could not hold back their tears on seeing the bodies at the Shrivardhan sub-district hospital. The hospital premises echoed with wails as families grieved their loss.

Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare reached Shrivardhan late at night. She met the relatives of the dead students and consoled them. She said the students' bus had left Diveagar for Alandi at night via the Tamhini Ghat, and that the children were frightened at the time. She asked police officers why no policeman had been sent with the bus and expressed displeasure at the police's attitude.

Calling it an extremely unfortunate incident, Aditi Tatkare said it was necessary to take care at the beach keeping in mind the limits of nature. She said the entire government stood with the families of the dead students.

MP Sunil Tatkare also expressed grief over the accident. He said efforts were continuing to make the Diveagar beach safe. He said he was confident that the government would take the right decision on helping the families of the dead.

Guardian Minister Bharat Gogawale also reached the spot late at night. He said concrete measures would be taken at dangerous beaches. He also said the government was considering assistance for the families of the dead.

Questions are also being raised about the management of Winners Academy. Yogesh Ranjankar, Assistant Commissioner of Police for the Alandi-Dighi division, said that if the academy is found to be illegal, appropriate legal action will be taken against it. He also made clear that he is in touch with the Raigad police and the district administration.

A crowd of parents and members of the public gathered outside the academy after the accident. The police have appealed to parents and citizens to remain calm.