Three men feared drowned in Mangaluru sea, say police

Three men, who had gone to attend a beach festival, are feared to have drowned in Arabian Sea near Panambur beach in Mangaluru of Karnataka, police said on Monday even as Karnataka minister Dinesh Gundu Rao urged everyone to prioritise “safety and caution” while venturing into the sea.
According to the police, the men were part of five-member group which had gone to attend the three-day beach Panambur Beach Utsav, that started on Friday.
The police identified the three as 20-year-old Milan, who worked as a delivery boy, 18-year-old Likith, a first year student at a government pre-university in Panambur, and 24-year-old Nagaraj, who worked as a supervisor with a company in Baikampady. All three were residents of Ambedkar Nagar in Porkodi area of the city.
Despite instructions from the coast guards, the group along with several others had gone to the beach on Sunday evening, said an official familiar with the matter. “The three men went missing in the sea after being hit by a large wave,” said the official.The authorities have launched a search operation.
The coastal guards through loudspeakers had been urging people to “stay alert’ and requesting them “not to go close to the waves”, said the official. According to police, as it was the weekend, there were more people at the beach and the number of guards available was also not enough to control the crowd. The people were cautioned about the possibility of high waves as the sea was being hit by high winds since afternoon, said another official familiar with the developments.
Panambur police inspector Manjunath confirmed the development. He said: “The five-member group went into the sea when three people were dragged deeper after being hit by a large wave. A search operation has been launched to find them.”
Reacting to the incident, minister Rao wrote on X: “It’s saddening to hear that three young men are feared to have drowned at Panambur Beach in Mangaluru. Search operations are currently in full swing, and our government extends its strong support to the families of the victims during this difficult hour.” “The loss of young lives in such tragic incidents is deeply distressing. I urge everyone to prioritize safety and caution whenever venturing into the sea.”