Chennai:
Five visiting medical students, including two women, drowned in the sea off Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu on Monday.
The students were swimming in the final weeks of their course at a private beach that remained closed.
“The group had reached the closed Lemur Beach through a coconut grove. It was closed as the sea was rough. We are investigating,” Kanniyakumari Superintendent of Police E Sundaravathanam told NDTV.
Investigators said the group, as part of a larger group from SRM Medical College in Tiruchirappalli, had come for a wedding in Kanniyakumari on Sunday. They split into smaller groups and went to explore the tourist town, and this particular group had come to the private beach.
The deceased have been identified as Charukavi from Thanjavur, Gayathiri from Neyveli, Sarvadarshith from Kanniyakumari, Praveen Sam from Dindigul and Venkatesh from Andhra Pradesh.
Three other women trainees – Neshi from Karur, Preethi Priyanka from Theni and Saranya from Madurai – have been rescued and are receiving treatment at the Asaripallam Medical College Hospital.
On Sunday, three others from Chennai had drowned while taking a dip at another beach.