Eight teenage students from a Pune coaching institute drowned at Diveagar beach during a picnic. Despite alleged warnings from teachers, the boys entered deep water and were swept away by strong currents. Local rescue efforts failed, and all eight boys were declared dead.
The deaths of eight 16-year-old students from Alandi, Pune, at Diveagar beach have raised questions about safety and supervision during educational and recreational trips organised by private coaching institutes. The students were part of a larger group that travelled to Raigad for a picnic on Thursday, but what was meant to be a day away from classrooms ended in tragedy.
According to the Times of India report, 42 students — 25 boys and 17 girls — accompanied by six teachers from Winners Academy and Study Centre, travelled to Diveagar after first visiting Raigad Fort. The group reached the beach in the afternoon. A local water-sports operator told the newspaper that he had approached the students around 2.30 pm about a boat ride, but they said they planned to bathe in the sea instead.
Eight boys subsequently entered the water. Police said some of them did not know how to swim and that they went into chest-deep water before being pulled by the current. Teachers reportedly told police they had warned the students not to venture deep into the sea. When the boys began struggling, teachers and other students raised the alarm. Local water-sports workers then joined the rescue effort, with two jet skis being used to search the water.
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The rescue operation continued for hours. The eight students were eventually recovered and taken to hospital, where they were declared brought dead. Police registered an accidental death case. The academy said consent forms had been obtained from enrolled students before the picnic.
But the tragedy has also prompted difficult questions from the families. Advocate Priyesh Sonawane, a close friend of the family of one of the victims, questioned whether minors should have been allowed into the sea without stronger safeguards.
“In my view, it is the mistake of the academy. How can any academy send students who are just 16 years old into the sea without life jackets?” Sonawane said.
Tanmay Vahile’s uncle Pintu Vahile said the family wanted answers from the coaching class, police and local authorities about what happened and whether necessary precautions had been taken. “If there were lapses, action should be taken against those responsible for the tragedy,” he said.
The tragedy has therefore moved beyond the question of how the students drowned. It has opened a wider conversation about how private coaching institutes organise trips for teenagers, what safety arrangements should be mandatory near open water and who is responsible when such outings turn fatal.
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