Four class 9 students from a residential school tragically drowned in the sea at Murudeshwar in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district while on an school trip, police said on Wednesday.
The group, consisting of 46 students and six teachers from Morarji Desai Residential School in Mulabagilu, Kolar district, had visited Murudeshwar on Tuesday as part of a school tour, as PTI reported.
According to officials, the incident took place around 5.30 pm when the students and teachers visited the beach. Despite warnings from lifeguards, seven students entered the sea. The rough waters swept away three girls, while another died on the spot.
The remaining three students were rescued with the help of lifeguards and other agencies. They were rushed to the hospital and are now reported to be out of danger, a senior police official confirmed.
A search operation involving lifeguards, home guards, fishermen, and police recovered the bodies of the three missing students on Wednesday morning.
“We have registered a case under Section 106 (Causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and arrested all six teachers in connection with the incident,” said Narayana M, Superintendent of Police, Uttara Kannada.
The teachers were later granted station bail, authorities confirmed.
The deceased students, all aged 15, have been identified as Shravanti, Deeksha, Lavanya, and Lipika. Police stated that post-mortem examinations have been completed, and arrangements are underway to transport the bodies to their hometowns.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed his condolences to the grieving families and announced an ex-gratia of ₹5 lakh for each family.
Taking to the social media platform ‘X,’ he said: “The families of the four students who died in the accident will be given a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each by the state government. I have spoken to the Deputy Commissioner of Uttara Kannada district and suggested making arrangements to transport the bodies to their hometowns.”
The chief minister also stressed the importance of vigilance during school trips. “Children should be supervised while visiting dangerous places. I understand the pain of parents who have lost their children. I pray such incidents never happen again.”