Uttara Kannada: 15-year-old girl drowns during school trip at Murudeshwar beach; 3 still missing

A schoolgirl drowned and three students went missing at Murudeshwar Beach during a school trip from Kolar. Negligence by teachers and lack of safety equipment for lifeguards are blamed. Rescue operations continue, while locals criticize authorities for inadequate safety measures despite previous incidents.

Vinaykumar Patil

First Published Dec 11, 2024, 8:59 AM IST | Last Updated Dec 11, 2024, 8:59 AM IST

A tragic incident struck Murudeshwar Beach on Tuesday when a schoolgirl drowned, and three other students went missing during a school trip. The deceased has been identified as Shravanthi (15), a resident of Mulbagal in Kolar district.

Three students, Deeksha (15), Lavanya (15), and Vandana (15), are still missing after they ventured into the sea. Rescue operations are underway to locate them.

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The students were part of a group from Morarji Desai Residential School in Kottur, Kolar district. The group, consisting of 57 people, including 46 students and six teachers, had arrived on a bus for the tour. The tragedy occurred when some of the students went swimming in the sea in the evening.

Three other students, Yashoda (15), Veekshana (15), and Lipika (15), who also struggled in the water, were rescued and are undergoing treatment at a private hospital.

The incident has raised serious allegations of negligence against the teachers accompanying the students. Locals and witnesses claim that a lack of supervision contributed to the tragedy.

Adding to the concern, it has been revealed that lifeguards at the beach have been working without proper safety equipment for the past two months. Despite repeated requests, the Tourism Department needs to provide the necessary tools, leaving lifeguards helpless in emergencies.

Uttara Kannada District In-charge Minister Mankalu Vaidya had previously assured that preventive measures would be implemented at tourist spots. However, the failure to equip lifeguards and ensure safety measures has drawn sharp criticism.

This is not the first such incident at Murudeshwar Beach. Just weeks ago, tourists drowned at the same location, prompting the taluk administration to ban beach access temporarily. Although the ban was lifted a month ago, no significant safety improvements were made.

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Locals have expressed their frustration with the authorities. Manjunath, a local who participated in the rescue operation, accused the Tourism Department and district administration of gross negligence. He pointed out that lifeguards were left without essential equipment, making rescue efforts more challenging.

The Murudeshwar Police have registered a case and are investigating the matter. Meanwhile, search operations for the missing students continue.

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