Chennai
Police said the deceased had come to Marina as part of a sightseeing trip along with 16 other inmates of the orphanage on Saturday evening and had ventured in to the sea for bathing.
The youngsters identified as Sreenivasan (17) and Sreegurunathan (14), were sucked in by a huge wave, said police.
The local fishermen rushed to spot hearing the loud cry of other boys for help but in vain. By then, the boys had been drawn inside and there was no sign of them.
Anna Square police was then informed about the incident and they along with coastal police and fire and rescue team launched a hunt for the missing boys. The search operations continued till late night, till the conditions became too hostile to continue the search.
Police said the boys from the orphanage were brought to the beach by the caretaker Ganeshan and the boys got in to the sea to escape heat. Police said people continue to venture into sea despite the beach having several caution boards warning people against bathing in the sea.
“People frequently drown in Marina, but nobody takes our warnings seriously. We try to chase away youth who venture into the sea, but it is very difficult to man the entire stretch of Marina. Due to the election duty, the patrolling teams are also not there at Marina to stop people from entering the water,” a police official attached to Anna Square police said.
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