PANAJI: Two students of the Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA), drowned at Candolim in north coastal Goa in the early hours of Thursday, after they were dragged inwards by the current.
The students have been identified as Gurram Chenchu Sai (25) from Andhra Pradesh and Anuja Susan Paul (23) from Chennai.
Around 8.15 a.m. on Thursday, a fisherman near the Sinquerim tower spotted a body floating around 100 metres out at sea and immediately alerted Drishti Lifeguards.
The body was retrieved and after the intervention of the Calangute police, associate professor Pravin Mishra from MICA identified the body as that of Gurram Chenchu. It was later handed over to the police.
Mr. Mishra and faculty member Nitesh Mohanty informed the police that they and 47 students had come to Goa on a five-day study trip.
Around 3 a.m., seven students from the group headed to Candolim beach and ventured into the sea. Anuja was found unconscious minutes after the incident. She was immediately shifted to the Candolim Primary Health Centre, where she was declared dead on arrival. Girish Padlotkar from the Calangute police station said the bodies were sent to the State-owned Goa Medical College Hospital for post mortem.
Drishti Lifeguards, which mans the coastal belt, issued an advisory cautioning beach-goers from wading into the sea in unsafe situations, and especially after sunset.
