15 children, 4 adults go missing at Marina, traced without delay

While 15 children and four adults were reported missing, Triplicane Assistant Commissioner said that all of them were traced within minutes and reunited with their families.

Wooden barricades had been erected across the stretch on Marina to prevent people from entering the water. The police said that visitors cooperated with them and did not venture into the sea by jumping the barricades. There were no cases of drowning reported on Thursday till 9.30 pm. “The crowd which thronged the beach since morning started melting after 9 pm,” said the Assistant Commissioner. It may be noted that 13 watch towers were erected and three drones were used to monitor the crowd on marina. At Besant Nagar, more than 5,000 people visited the beach, police added.

Vandalur Zoo and Mamallapuram, too, witnessed a huge crowd on Thursday. The Arignar Anna Zoological Park, one of the famous destinations for Pongal holidays, hosted more than 1.2 lakh people. Zoo authorities had made special arrangements and tied hand tags on children below five years to trace them if they go missing. Electronic machines were used for entry tickets, which helped to avoid long queues at the Zoo entrance, said authorities. About 150 uniformed forest staff were deployed along with 200 NSS and NCC cadets to control the crowd. Medical help desks had also been set up at the zoo.