Visakhapatnam

Two drown at Rushikonda beach

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Two persons drowned and two were rescued by community guards and locals at Rushikonda Beach on Sunday morning.

The deceased were identified as Rahul Pandit and Nawal Upadhaya. The rescued were identified as Akbar Hussain and Faisaliuddin.

All are residents of Hyderabad and were working in Karachi Bakery near Diamond Park in Visakhapatnam city.

According to PM Palem Police Station SHO Laxman Murthy, the four had gone for a swim at Rushikonda Beach on Sunday morning at around 6 a.m. and the incident occurred around 7.30 a.m.

The four ventured into the water and at about 7.30, a big wave pulled them deeper into the sea, said the police officer.

While two of them were rescued by the community guards and the locals, the other two drowned and their bodies were retrieved about an hour later. The rescued are undergoing treatment at the GITAM Medical College Hospital.

According to a community guard, the four were warned not to venture into the water, as the sea was pretty rough due to the low pressure, but they did not heed the warning.

During monsoon and low pressure days, the rip currents are pretty high at the beaches around Visakhapatnam and it is extremely dangerous to get into the waters, said Yellaji, a community guard.

Beaches in and around Visakhapatnam such as RK Beach, Yarada, Rushikonda and Jodugullapalem have been the main attraction both for the locals and the tourists but in the last three years the beaches have recorded over 120 deaths due to drowning.

Since 2006 to till date, there were about 418 drowning cases, which resulted to over 465 deaths, at various beaches in Visakhapatnam.

According to the police, the bodies have been sent for post-mortem and investigation is on.

Printable version | Jul 18, 2017 6:48:24 PM | http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/two-drown-at-rushikonda-beach/article19289009.ece