Eight 16-year-old students from Alandi drowned while swimming off Diveagar beach in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, India, on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, during a day trip run by their coaching institute.
The dead are Rajveer Yuvraj Vahile, Tanmay Dattatray Vahile, Soham Tukaram Bhandwalkar, Kaustubh Sandeep Daund, Yash Kiran Wankhede, Kaivalya Satish Wasankar, Sumit Bharat Ahire and Pranav Ramdas Bansode. All were enrolled in Class XI or XII at Winners Academy, a private coaching institute in Alandi, in Pune district.
48 on the Trip
Police said 48 people made the journey to the coast: 25 boys, 17 girls and six teachers. Raigad Deputy Superintendent of Police Raju Sonawane told ANI that the group went into the sea without properly judging conditions. “They ventured into the sea but failed to accurately gauge the water conditions and the result was that eight students lost their lives,” he said.
Rescuers started pulling the students from the water after an alert. A senior police officer said the last missing student was found by the evening. All eight were taken to the primary health center at Borli, where doctors declared them dead. The 34 students who survived were moved to a hotel in Diveagar.
Investigation and Sealed Academy
Police registered an accidental death report and are examining whether lapses in safety or supervision played a part. On Friday, Oct. 2, Maharashtra Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan ordered a detailed inquiry to fix responsibility and said strict action would follow against anyone found at fault.
The same day, the Alandi Municipal Council sealed Winners Academy, saying it had been running without a business no-objection certificate and a trade license. Residents and traders in Alandi also observed a shutdown while families held last rites for the boys.
Parents Raise Questions
Dattatraya Vahile, whose son Tanmay died, asked why the students were allowed into the water at high tide. He said only two adults had accompanied 42 students, and alleged that the teachers were on the phone when the boys went under. Those allegations have not been investigated, and no arrests have been reported.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called the deaths “extremely tragic and painful.” Local legislator Mahendra Dalvi said students often have no idea how dangerous the sea can be, adding: “They cannot gauge the high tide or the depth.”
A Coastline With a History
Student drownings have struck Raigad before. On Feb. 1, 2016, 14 students from a Pune college died after a picnic at Murud beach, about 140 kilometers (90 miles) south of Mumbai. Two days later, the Bombay High Court sought a probe and asked the state why beach safety rules were not being enforced there.
