Thirteen students, including three girls, from a Pune college were feared drowned at Murud beach near Alibaug in Raigad district on Monday.
According to the Raigad district police, all students were from the computer science department of the Abeda Inamdar College. They were part of a group of over 130 students, who were picnicking near the waters of the historic Murud Janjira Fort.
The incident occurred late in the afternoon, when the students, throwing prudence to the winds, recklessly entered waters.
The police said that the group failed to anticipate the sudden low tide and were swept away by the waters. The chances of any among the group surviving were grim, added the police.
While the authorities have managed to recover some of the bodies with the aid of locals, a massive search operation is underway to fish out the remaining bodies.
