CHENNAI: A 21-year-old college student drowned, and another went missing after being caught in a high tide while bathing at Besant Nagar's Elliot's Beach on Saturday morning.
The police said the deceased, Kavi Prakash (21) from Theni, was a first-year MA student at a private college in Kotturpuram. Two of his classmates, Mohammed Adil (21) from Kerala and Rohit Chandra (21) from Uttar Pradesh, were also swept away by strong waves while they were in the water with a group of friends.
According to police, around 14 students had gone to the beach at around 7 am. When they entered the sea, a sudden large wave pulled three of them into deeper waters. On hearing their cries, local fishermen rushed to the spot and managed to rescue Kavi Prakash and Mohammed Adil, while Rohit remained missing.
Prakash was found unconscious and was declared dead shortly after being brought to shore. Adil, who had difficulty breathing due to water inhalation, was taken to a nearby private hospital for treatment.
On being informed, the Shastri Nagar police and fire and rescue personnel from Tiruvanmiyur launched a search operation to trace the missing student.
The police have registered a case and are investigating. The search operations continued late into the evening.