Kumta: Two tourists drowned and another went missing after a group of five visitors was caught in strong sea waves at Dubbanshashi beach in Gokarna, Kumta taluk, Uttara Kannada district, on Sunday morning. Two others were rescued safely.

According to sources, a group of 16 employees of a private company in Bengaluru had arrived in Gokarna on Saturday night for an outing. The group was staying at a resort near Dubbanshashi beach. At around 7.30 am on Sunday, five members of the group entered the Arabian Sea for a swim and recreation when sudden high waves swept them away.

Soon after the incident, resort lifeguards, local fishermen and others launched rescue efforts. Four people were pulled out of the sea and shifted to the Gokarna Primary Health Centre, where doctors declared two of them dead.

The deceased were identified as Shobha Das (22), a native of Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, and Mohammed Akram from Bengaluru. While Shobha Das died during treatment at the hospital, Mohammed Akram succumbed while being shifted to Manipal Hospital.

The two rescued persons were identified as Nishant D.V. (26) and Mohammed Qasim. Search operations are underway to trace the fifth person, who remains missing.

A case has been registered at the Gokarna police station and further investigation is underway.