Death toll rises to 3 as two die in Kochi hospital| Onmanorama

Kochi: Two youths, who were undergoing treatment after falling into the sea at Puthuvyppe beach, breathed their last at a private hospital here in the early hours of Monday. The deceased are Milan Sebastian (19), a native of Kathrukkadavu, and Alwin George Antony (19), a resident of Elamkulam. Her friend Abhishek (22) from Kaloor drowned in the sea on Sunday. According to reports, the duo got caught in the turbulent waves while trying to save Abhishek. Although the fishermen and locals present on the beach rescued them from the sea, they remained critical in the hospital. Hospital management confirmed the two deaths on Monday morning.

The trio along with their five friends reached the beach on Sunday morning to take a dip in the sea.

Meanwhile, fishermen here alleged that failure of the government in setting up security arrangements at the beach led to the deaths. They argued that over 3,000 people, including migrant workers, regularly visited the beach.

“The government has neither deployed lifeguards nor taken security measures at this busiest beach in the district. Around 3,000 to 4,000 people visit this beach in the evening and night. We used to prevent them from going into the sea because of the turbulent waves. But none of the visitors heed our advice,” said some fishermen here.