Three students of a private engineering college at Ettumanur, who were part of an 81-member team touring coastal Karnataka, drowned in the sea off St. Mary's beach, near Malpe, on Thursday.
The deceased were identified as Amal C. Anil of Kuzhimattom in Kottayam, Antony Shinoyi of Udayamperoor in Ernakulam and Allen Reji of Pampadi , Kottayam — all final-year computer engineering students of the Mangalam College of Engineering.
The tragedy struck around 1.30 p.m. when one of them was washed away by the waves reportedly while attempting to capture a selfie from the seaside. The others tried to rescue him, but drowned.
The bodies were fished out later. College sources said the team comprising 77 students and four faculty members left for Karnataka in two buses on Wednesday evening. Parents of the deceased students were informed of the tragedy and they are on their way to Uduppi.
