Visakhapatnam: Two Hyderabad youth drowned in the choppy sea off the Rushikonda beach while two others were rescued by locals and community guards here on Sunday morning.
The victims were identified as Rahul Pandit, 33, and Nawal Upadhaya, 27, and the survivors Akbar Hussain and Faisaliuddin. The Hyderabad residents were working in the Karachi Bakery unit near Diamond Park here.
Police said they reached the beach at about 6 am. While swimming in the waters, they were caught by a strong current which took them deep inside. Locals and community guards immediately jumped in to save them but they managed to save only two, said Mr Y. Appanna, a witness.
PK Palem inspector K. Lakshmana Murthy said that the incident occurred at about 7.30 am. The bodies of the vitims were retrieved about an hour later. The survivors were admitted to the GITAM Medical College Hospital, where their condition is said to be stable, he added.
“We had warned them not to venture into the water as the sea off Rushikonda is dangerous. During the monsoon and when there is low pressure, the ‘rip currents’ are pretty strong," said Mr V. Yellaji, a community guard.
Police said over 475 persons had drowned in the sea off Vizag in the last decade. Around 400 of them were men. A sizeable percentage of the victims were in the age group of 15 to 30 years. Compared to other beaches in the city, Rushikonda is the most dangerous. Six Gitam university students had drowned in the beach in October 2012 and five students from a private junior college in 2010.
