UDUPI: Three students from an engineering college in Kottayam, Kerala drowned in the sea off St Mary's Island near Malpe beach here on Thursday.
The dead bodies of two students have been retrieved, while a search is on for another.
The three students who met with a watery grave have been identified as Allen Reji (22), Amal C Anil (22) and Antony (21). A search is on for Antony, sources said.
A team of 42 students from Mangalam College of Engineering at Ettumanoor near Kottayam in Kerala along with their faculty had come to St Mary’s Island on a leisure tour. The trip turned tragic when a student went to take a selfie in a prohibited zone. The student slipped and fell into the water. Seeing this, two of his friends went to rescue him. But they too were drowned.
It is said that the student had gone to take a selfie in a danger zone where the caution board was placed and a rope was tied to prohibit the entry of tourists.
The engineering students had left their college on Wednesday around 4.30 pm. They straightway headed to Udupi and took a boat to St Mary’s Island on Thursday morning.
The tragedy struck around 1 pm on Thursday. Sources from Mangalam College of Engineering told TNIE that the parents of the deceased students have been informed of the tragedy and they are on their way to Udupi.
Sudesh Shetty, Malpe beach leaseholder told TNIE that five lifeguards were deputed on St Mary’s Island. However, a student crossed the rope saying he want to take a selfie. He was directed by the lifeguard not to venture into the prohibited zone. But by then the student had slipped and fell. Two who rushed to rescue him also were washed away by the swirling water. Shetty added that there is a marked safe swimming zone on the east side of the island, but this tragedy occurred when they entered the prohibited area on the west side of the island. He also said that the only option to avert this type of tragedy is to impose a complete ban to enter the west side of the island. ‘‘We may do that now’’ he said.