Overview
- Six Class 9 boys from Madhurawada visited Rushikonda on Friday for a Gandhi Jayanti outing, and a sudden large wave swept Pilla Prashanth, Sattaruvu Suryaprakash and Sabbavarapu Ritesh into deeper water while they stood knee‑deep in the sea.
- A multi-agency search involving Visakhapatnam police, Marine Police, the Indian Coast Guard (including a helicopter), beach lifeguards, scuba teams and local fishermen began the same evening.
- Rescue teams recovered Prashanth’s body late on Friday and the bodies of Suryaprakash and Ritesh washed ashore in the early hours of Saturday; all three were formally identified and families were notified.
- Visakhapatnam City Police Commissioner Shankhabrata Bagchi personally monitored the response, and one bereaved father working in Dubai has appealed to state leaders for help to return home.
- Rushikonda is a popular holiday beach known for strong waves, and the deaths are likely to renew calls for clearer warnings, more lifeguard coverage and tighter supervision of children at busy coastal spots.