Bhatkal: The four students who had drowned in the Arabian Sea at Murdeshwar on Tuesday, three of whom had gone missing, were found today (Wednesday).
The body recovered yesterday was identified as that of Sharavanti Gopalappa, while the remaining three bodies recovered today were identified as Deeksha Jairamappa, Lavanya Chinnaredappa, and Vandana Muni Raju. All four of them were matriculation students from Morarji Desai Residential School in Mulbagal, Kolar district.
A total of 46 students, including 27 boys and 19 girls, along with the school headmistress Shashikala Mahar and five teachers, had arrived for a school trip to Murdeshwar. Ten students, accompanied by their teachers, went into the sea to play in the waves. During this time, seven students were swept away by high waves and started drowning. Lifeguards on-site, along with the help of local fishermen, managed to rescue three students alive, while one student died before being rescued. The remaining three missing students were found this morning.
After the incident, Bhattkal Assistant Commissioner Dr. Naina and Bhatkal Tahsildar Ashok Bhatt reached the scene on Tuesday evening and visited the hospital to meet the hospitalized students. They also arranged accommodation for the distressed remaining students and teachers at a hotel in Murdeshwar. Given the seriousness of the tragedy, Deputy Commissioner of Uttara Kannada, Lakshmi Priya, along with other district officials, including District Superintendent of Police M. Narayan, Superintendent of Police (SP) for Coastal Security Police (CSP) in Udupi, and Circle Police Inspector Kusuma Dhara, reached Murdeshwar late on Tuesday night. They assessed the situation and held meetings with local officers. The parents and relatives of the deceased students also arrived late at night.
Mulbagal MLA Expresses Anger Over Lack of Safety Measures
Upon hearing about the tragic incident of the students drowning at Murdeshwar, Mulbagal MLA Samruddhi Manjunath arrived at the beach this morning and expressed his anger to the Deputy Commissioner about the lack of necessary safety measures for tourists. He emphasized that if the administration could not ensure the safety of tourists, they should have imposed a ban on swimming in the sea. He held the district administration responsible for the tragedy, stating that had proper safety measures been in place, such an unfortunate incident could have been avoided.
Search for Missing Students
Following the incident, a search operation for the missing students was initiated on Tuesday night. As morning broke today (Wednesday), the Coastal Security Police launched a search mission using boats. Initially, two bodies were found floating in the sea behind the temple, and shortly afterward, the third body surfaced. Given the high waves in Murdeshwar’s waters, the bodies were safely transferred by boat to the nearby shore at Shrali Alvekodi Port, where they were brought ashore. After post-mortem procedures at Bhattkal Government Hospital, the bodies were handed over to the families.
State Government Announces Compensation
Expressing deep sorrow over the incident, Karnataka's Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced compensation of Rs. 5 lakh each for the families of the four deceased students. He also conveyed his condolences to the families and stated that he had instructed the Deputy Commissioner of Uttara Kannada to make arrangements for transporting the bodies back to their hometowns.
Former MLA Blames District Administration for the Tragedy
Former MLA Sunil Naik blamed the district administration for negligence, disorganization, and political rivalry between the current MLA and District In-charge Minister Mankal Vaidya. In his social media post, he conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families and stated that the lifeguards at Murdeshwar beach had been demanding essential safety equipment for the past two months. However, Minister Mankal Vaidya chose to spend millions on organizing a "fish mela" instead of providing the necessary resources to the lifeguards. He further pointed out that if boating services had been operational, the lifeguards or fishermen could have used them to rescue the drowning students. Sunil Naik called for a thorough investigation into the incident and demanded that measures be taken to prevent such tragedies in the future.
Suo Moto Case Filed Against Teachers
The six teachers who took the students on the picnic—Shashikala, Sunil, Chodappa, Vishwanath, Sharadamma, and Naresh—have been charged with negligence and violating government regulations. The Murdeshwar Police have filed a suo-motu case against them, and the school administration has suspended all six teachers, including the headmistress, Shashikala.
Temporary Ban on Entering Murdeshwar Sea
Following a meeting chaired by District In-charge Minister Mankal Vaidya at the Bhattkal Assistant Commissioner’s office, a temporary ban has been imposed on entering the Murdeshwar sea area. Barriers have been installed at the entrance gate leading to the beach, and additional police personnel have been deployed to prevent tourists from entering the sea. Since this morning, the beach area has been deserted.
Lifeguards' Lack of Essential Equipment
Local fishermen expressed their concerns, saying that while many people living near the sea, especially fishermen, are expert swimmers, there are no essential rescue tools available for lifeguards. They mentioned that despite 2,000 to 3,000 tourists visiting the beach every day, there are only five lifeguards on duty, and none of them are equipped with life jackets, ropes, tubes, or speedboats—crucial tools for saving lives in emergencies. They suggested that if boating services were still operational, lifeguards or fishermen could have used them to rescue drowning individuals.
Minister Mankal Vaidya Responds
When asked about the lack of essential equipment for lifeguards, Minister Mankal Vaidya admitted that speedboats had not been provided to the lifeguards, although they do have life jackets and other necessary equipment. He stated that there are currently seven lifeguards on duty, and additional services are provided by the Coastal Security Police, Coast Guard, and even Murdeshwar Police. He assured that the government would soon provide boats to the lifeguards and increase the number of lifeguards to ensure the safety of tourists at Murdeshwar.
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