Swell surge in sea off Kanyakumari kills five medicos
Swell surge in sea off Kanyakumari kills five medicos
MADURAI: Five medical college students and interns from SRM Medical College Hospital and Trichy Government Medical College Hospital vacationing in Kanyakumari district drowned in the sea off Lemur Beach on Monday due to a swell surge, a phenomenon the India Meteorological Department has been warning for the southern Tamil Nadu coast.
The deceased have been P Sarvadarshith, 23, of Parakkai in Kanyakumari district, M Praveen Sam, 23, of Oddanchatram in Dindigul district, B Gayathiri, 25, of Neyveli, Venkatesh, 24, of Andhra Pradesh, and D Charukavi, 23, of Thanjavur.
They along with S Neshi, 24, of Karur, R Preethi Priyanka, 23, of Periyakulam in Theni and S Saranya, 24, of Madurai went to Kanyakumari on Sunday for a wedding.
They headed to Thirparappu Falls on Monday morning but there was not much water in the falls. So, they went to Rajakkamangalam area from where they went to nearby Lemur Beach off the Arabian Sea. While they were playing on the beach, a massive wave (swell surge) swept them away into the sea.
Fishermen, who heard the commotion, rushed to their aid and managed to rescue Neshi, Preethi Priyanka and Saranya. They were rushed to Government Medical College Hospital in Asaripallam where Neshi’s condition remains critical.
The dead bodies of the five medicvos were recovered from the sea and were sent to Asaripallam Government Medical College Hospital for postmortem.
With them, the death toll from the swell surge increased to eight in Kanyakumari district in the last three days. A 20-member team from Chennai visited Kanyakumari on Saturday. They went to Kodimunai near Colachel on Sunday and six of them climbed on a groyne at Kodimunai to see the waves. A sudden swell swept them away from the stones and the fishermen who rushed to their aid managed to save four of them. The bodies of Manoj Kumar, 25, and Vejis, 54, were recovered.
On Sunday, Premadas, 42, of Puthukadai in Kanyakumari district took his daughter Athisha, 7, to Thengapattinam Beach. While they were playing on the beach, they were washed away by a swell. Fishermen managed to rescue Premadas while Athisha was washed into the sea. The dead body of the girl was recovered on Monday morning.
The IMD has issued a warning on swell surges (sudden massive waves) — called “kalla kadal” in the local dialect. The pilgrims were barred from taking bath in the sea in Tiruchendur beach and other beaches on Saturday and Sunday.
Kanyakumari SP E Sundaravadanam visited Lemur Beach and warned the visitors not to go to the beach since the IMD has issued orange warning to coastal areas on swell surge.
He stated that the district administration had earlier issued a warning on this but the youngsters ignored the warning, he said.
He visited Asaripallam Hospital and inquired about the condition of the three survivors. He warned that people ignoring the weather warning in coastal areas would be taken to a task.
CM condoles deaths of medicos
Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin condoled the deaths of five medical college students and interns who drowned in the sea off Lemur Beach. The CM directed the district administration to render all assistance and provide the best medical care to the survivors.
Expressing his condolences to the families who lost their children, the CM said the state government would approach the Election Commission of India for its permission to provide compensation to the families.
For more news like this visit TOI. Get all the Latest News, City News, India News, Business News, and Sports News. For Entertainment News, TV News, and Lifestyle Tips visit Etimes