A picnic turned into a tragedy as five school students drowned at a beach in Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada town on Thursday.
The incident occurred at Suryaraopet beach in the town in East Goadavari district, when a group of nine students were taking bath.
The locals saved a few children immediately after the incident, and a search was on for the missing students.
The rescued students were reportedly rushed to the Government General Hospital in Kakinada. One succumbed while undergoing treatment, two others were said to be stable.
The Indian Coast Guard was also roped in for the rescue operations.
District Superintendent of Police Ravi Prakash also visited the mishap scene and supervised the rescue operation.
A group of 19 students from Kapulapalem in the same district had come to Kakinada for the picnic, and nine of them had entered the water.
Three of the deceased were from one family.
Deputy Chief Minister Chinna Rajappa directed district officials to provide all help to the families of the victims.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu also took to Twitter on the incident, tweeting, “Anguished to hear about the drowning incident in Kakinada. We're monitoring the situation.”
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