Pune students at Diveagar beach: What police say about eight deaths and the safety questions

Raigad police say eight students from a coaching institute in Alandi, near Pune, died after entering the sea at Diveagar beach during a group outing on Thursday, October 1, 2026. Police have registered an accidental-death case and are investigating what happened. Relatives have raised questions about supervision and precautions, but those concerns are not an official finding that anyone was at fault.

What authorities have reported

The Raigad district administration said the outing involved 48 people from Winners Academy: 42 students and six teachers. The students were visiting the beach in Raigad district after travelling from the Pune area. Police identified the eight who died as boys, all aged 16. The group included students in Classes 11 and 12.

Dighi coastal police said their preliminary understanding was that students entered the sea and misjudged conditions in the water. Assistant police inspector Santosh Awati said teachers had told police they warned students not to go too far in. That is the teachers’ account as conveyed by police, not an independently established sequence of events. Accounts of the precise time the students entered the water also differ, so the timeline should not be treated as settled.

Local residents and water-sports workers responded after others at the beach raised an alarm. Police said the boys were taken for medical attention and declared dead. Early accounts described one student as still missing after seven had been found; police subsequently reported that all eight had been recovered. The earlier search updates should not be mistaken for a continuing missing-person report.

Raigad deputy superintendent of police Raju Sonawane said an accidental-death case had been registered and that investigators would record statements before deciding on further action. Registration of that case does not establish why the students entered the water, whether warnings were given or followed, or whether any person or organisation breached a duty of care.

What safety questions have been raised?

Priyesh Sonawane, a friend of one student’s family, questioned whether teenagers on the outing had adequate supervision and why they entered the sea without life jackets. His remarks raise questions for investigators; they do not independently establish what safety equipment was available or whether its use was required for the activity the students undertook.

Pintu Vahile, an uncle of one of the students, said the family wanted answers from the coaching institute, police and local authorities about how the incident happened and whether necessary precautions were taken. Residents of Alandi have also questioned the institute’s handling of the outing and its communication after the deaths. These are concerns attributed to relatives and residents, not conclusions reached by investigators.

The academy has said it obtained parental consent forms before the trip. Consent to attend an outing, however, does not by itself answer what instructions students received at the beach, how they were supervised near the water, or what arrangements existed for an emergency. The academy’s account of those specific arrangements, alongside statements from teachers, surviving students and rescuers, remains important to establishing a reliable chronology.

Other questions include whether any part of the beach was marked or restricted, what warnings were visible, and when help was called. Descriptions of a restricted stretch and strong currents have circulated, but the exact conditions at the place and time of the incident require confirmation through the police inquiry and local authorities. It would be premature to assign responsibility to the institute, beach operators or officials on the information presently available.

Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan said educational institutions must take responsibility for students on excursions and said the state would issue guidelines for private schools, colleges and coaching classes. That proposed response is separate from the investigation into this outing. For the families, the immediate unanswered question remains how eight students came to be in danger at the same time, despite the adults and other members of the group being nearby.