Horror as eight teen boys die on school trip after being swept away while swimming in sea

EIGHT teenage boys have died on a school trip after being swept away while swimming in the sea.

Horrified beachgoers attempted to resuscitate the youngsters, all aged 16, who had misjudged the water’s depth and current, cops said.

The tragic children were swimming at Diveagar beach in India on October 1 while on an excursion.

They disappeared under the waves in front of terrified bystanders and schoolmates.

A group of 42 students and six teachers from Winners Academy in Alandi, Pune district, had travelled to the coast for the trip.

Authorities named the victims 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.

Police said the eight students went into the Arabian Sea and were swept away due to the depth of the water and the strength of the current.

Once the alarm was raised, cops and emergency services launched an urgent rescue mission.

All eight bodies were eventually recovered and the students were dragged to the beach where they were pronounced dead.

Shiv Sena politician Mahendra Dalvi, who represents the local Alibag constituency, blamed what he described as inadequate safety precautions at the beach.

He said: “Such incidents keep happening there time and again, so the local administration must take safety precautions.

“Young schoolchildren may not be able to assess the risks posed by the sea, including high tide and the depth of water.”

Dalvi added: “Schoolchildren have no idea about the sea. It’s not a pond, it’s the sea.

“They cannot gauge the high tide or the depth of the water. Moreover, these children might not even know how to swim.”

Police have launched an investigation to determine the full circumstances of the horrific ordeal.