A 33-year-old man from the city drowned while swimming in the sea near the Papanasham Beach on Sunday. According to the Varkala police, Anith Charles, a resident of Nanthancode in the city and an employee with the Air Cargo wing at the Thiruvananthapuram Airport, had ventured into the sea along with three of his friends around 1.30 p.m. after reaching the popular beach from Paripally, where they had gone to attend the wedding of another friend. The police said Anith was swept away by strong undercurrents around 2.45 p.m.. His friend, Rajesh, a native of Tamil Nadu, too was swept away along with him. But while Rajesh managed to swim to safety, Anith could not do the same and though lifeguards from the beach pulled him ashore and rushed him to the Varkala Government Hospital, he was declared dead at 3.15 p.m.. Anith is survived by his father Ismail Manohar Lal, mother Selina Lal and brother Ajith Lal.
