Two Gujarat students drown off Candolim

the goan I network
MAPUSA

The deceased, Anuja Susan Paul (23) of Chennai and Gurram Chenchu Sai (25) of Andhra Pradesh, were part of a group of 47 students belonging to the Mudra Institute of Communication, Ahmedabad (MICA), who had arrived on a study tour to Goa along with their faculty.
They came to Goa on September 5 and were scheduled to return on Friday.
According to the police, six friends from the group decided to go for a swim along the Candolim beach at around 3 am on Thursday.
At around 3.30 am, the two deceased students were hit by a huge wave and within minutes, were dragged inside the sea, police informed.
Within minutes, one of the deceased, Anuja Paul, was washed ashore. She was immediately shifted to Primary Health Centre, Candolim, where she was declared dead on arrival. At around 9 am, the body of the second deceased, Gurram Sai, was retrieved from the sea.
Police conducted panchanama formalities and shifted the bodies to Goa Medical College, Bambolim, for post-mortem examination.
It may be recalled that in a stark resemblance to the incident reported on Thursday, a 27-year-old tourist drowned off Candolim beach early Sunday (September 3) at about 4 am.
"It's just coincidence. The drowning on September 3 was at one end of the Candolim beach, while today's (Thursday) drowning happened at the other end of Candolim," PI Jivba Dalvi told The Goan.
When asked whether the students were under the influence of alcohol, PI Dalvi said he wouldn't know.
"Only after the examination of the viscera will we be able to
conclusively say whether they were intoxicated," Dalvi said. In both the cases, the drowning took place in the wee hours of the morning.
An MICA press release stated that "around 3 am, a group of six students decided to go to Candolim beach. Unfortunately, two of them drowned and lost their lives. MICA's Leadership Team is in touch with their families. Our thoughts and prayers are with them and the two departed souls."
According to The India Express, Associate Dean Siddharth Deshmukh said the group was accompanied by faculty members as well. "The group left on September 4 and were to return on September 9. Two faculty members were accompanying them. It is a great shock to all of us. We are trying to get in touch with their families," he was quoted in the report.
The report, also quoting MICA's President and Director, Professor Shailendra Raj Mehta, said the two students were "bright and engaging students who were full of energy and promise." "It is a tragic loss for their families and for the entire MICA community."