Karwar (Uttara Kannada district): In a tragic incident off the coast of Gokarna in Uttara Kannada district, two final-year MBBS students from Tamil Nadu drowned after being swept away by strong waves near Jatayu Teertha on Wednesday evening. The victims, Kanimozhi and Hinduja, both aged 23, were students of SRM Medical College, Tiruchirappalli.

The duo was part of a group of 23 students who had recently completed their final exams and were on a vacation tour to Dandeli, Gokarna, and Murudeshwar, organised by Vetrie Tours and Travels, a Chennai-based agency. The students had reached Gokarna from Vibhuti Falls on April 24, Superintendent of Police Uttara Kannada district Narayana M said.

According to police, the group’s tour guide, identified as Gandhi Sivakumaran (23) from Dharmapuri district in Tamil Nadu, took the students to the seaside near Jatayu Teertha to watch the sunset around 6:20 PM. It was here that Kanimozhi and Hinduja were caught in strong currents and pulled into the sea.

Local resident Maniraju attempted to rescue the girls but was himself endangered by the waves. The rescue team from Kudle Beach, using an adventure boat, managed to pull all three ashore and rushed them to the government hospital in Gokarna. However, the two students were declared dead on arrival. Maniraju survived.

The incident left the rest of the group traumatised, and they were brought to the hospital for initial care. Arrangements have been made for their accommodation. With no cold storage facility at the Gokarna hospital and delays in the arrival of the victims’ families from Tamil Nadu, the bodies have been moved to the district hospital in Karwar.

Gokarna police have booked a case under Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the tour guide Gandhi and the travel agency owner Vetrie Selvan for alleged negligence and failure to ensure safety measures during the trip. Both are residents of Tamil Nadu.