Goemkarponn desk
KERI: In a tragic incident that occurred on Sunday evening, four persons drowned at the Keri beach as they were taking selfies.
According to the Pernem police, the bodies recovered have been identified as that of Mohammad Vakil (25) and Sakina Khatun (17), Thabstun Khatun (12) and Mohammad Ali (16), also residents of Candolim.
A local, Asif, who had tried to save the drowning persons, has been injured and is shifted to the Goa Medical College and Hospital at Bambolim for treatment. According to the information available, a group of youth, comprising 15-20 individuals, had visited the Keri beach and was walking towards the sweet lake in Arambol.
According to Drishti’s lifesaving services, despite the presence of a ‘no selfie zone’ signboard suggesting danger, four individuals ventured towards a rocky area supposedly to click photos and were hit by sudden strong waves that pulled them into the sea.
The Drishti lifesaver on duty launched an immediate rescue operation. The lifesaver immediately called for backup and rushed into the sea to rescue the individuals.
A jet ski was used to search for the missing individuals near the spot where the accident occurred. Two of the four persons, a male and a female, were brought to the shore, where a team of lifesavers administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while the state emergency services were also informed.
The lifesaver team continued administering CPR while they rushed the individuals to a waiting ambulance for further examination. The ambulance proceeded to the Pernem community health centre, where they were declared brought dead.
Search and rescue operation was underway till late Sunday evening for the other two persons from the group.
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