Beach outing in Chennai turns tragic: Maharashtra intern with Cognizant dies, another missing; one from Pune rescued

The three youths were part of a group of 26 students who visited the beach on Saturday. Three had entered the sea when waves measuring nearly 10 to 15 feet reportedly surged in an otherwise calm sea.

The students were doing internship at Cognizant’s Siruseri campus, where they were trainee software engineers. Fifteen youths from Maharashtra were in Chennai for the internship. Saturday being a holiday, the group had gone for an outing to the beach located along East Coast Road (Puducherry Road), under the jurisdiction of Kanathur police station. They also visited the Matsya Narayana Temple, officials said.

Personnel of Kanathur police station limits launched a search and rescue operation immediately after the incident. Mayuri Chaudhary was taken to Injambakkam Government Hospital, where she was declared dead.

Kedari, who completed his computer engineering degree from Modern College, Pune, in 2025 mentioned that the three had met after arriving in Chennai in early February and had become friends over the training. His father, Rakesh Kedari, said he was devastated when he heard the news. “It was absolutely shocking. The loss of two lives is tragic,” he said, adding that the family was travelling to Chennai on Monday.

Search and Rescue (SAR) operations are going on to trace Jai Patil. The operation is being carried out by the Kovalam Fire and Rescue Team and the Marina Fire and Rescue Team. A fibre boat and three drone cameras have been deployed.

Local fishermen were alerted and sent into the sea to assist in the search operations. All nearby coastal police stations also were instructed to immediately report to Kanathur police station if any body is found.
According to sources, local fishermen assisted in the search operation and also tried to rescue Mayuri by giving her CPR, but she could not be saved.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis spoke to the Tamil Nadu government and is monitoring the rescue efforts, according to a statement from his office. He expressed condolences to Chaudhary’s family and urged authorities in Tamil Nadu to expedite the search operation and extend all necessary assistance.

Relatives of Jai Patil and members of Mayuri Chaudhary’s family have reached Chennai. The Bhandara district administration is in touch with local authorities in Tamil Nadu and is coordinating support for the affected families, District Information Officer of Bhandara said.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Harishchandra Chaudhary, Mayuri’s father, said, “The administration is in constant touch with us. Some of the students who were with Mayuri are also here. The government is assisting us in every possible way.”

Talking to the media outside his house in Bhandara, Aniket, Mayuri’s brother, said, “We first heard the news about Mayuri from one of her friends. Later, it was confirmed by a police officer from Kanathur, Chennai. We could not
accept it… it was shocking.”

A post-mortem examination will be conducted after obtaining consent from the parents. Coordination requests have already been issued to the relevant agencies as search efforts continue. The district administration is in touch with the families, officials said.