After the students were seen drowning, locals and water sports personnel rushed to their aid and launched a rescue operation. (Screengrab from videos)Questioning the safety measures during a picnic organised by a private academy in Alandi, advocate Priyesh Sonawane, a close friend of the family of one of the eight students who died in the Diveagar drowning incident, said the academy should have exercised greater caution as the students were around 16 years old and minors.“Winner’s Academy has been running in Alandi for several years and such trips are organised frequently. The students studying there are meritorious and mostly come from Alandi and nearby villages,” Sonawane said.Sonawane is a close friend of Yuvraj Vahile, the father of Rajveer Vahile, one of the students who died in the incident. Rajveer was from Kelgaon, where his father, Yuvraj, is the village police patil and is also involved in the real estate business, Sonawane told The Indian Express.He said Tanmay, another student who died, was also a member of Rajveer’s extended family.Also Read | 3 years after insurer rejects fisherman’s drowning death claim, widow gets Rs 5 lakh“In my view, it is the mistake of the academy. How can any academy send students who are just 16 years old into the sea without life jackets?” Sonawane said.He also questioned whether children of such a young age should be taken on beach outings without adequate supervision.“Tanmay left Alandi early Thursday morning with the group of students from his coaching class for a beach excursion. Around 7 p.m., messages began circulating in local Alandi groups that some students on the excursion had drowned. That is how the family learned about the incident and started gathering information.Story continues below this ad“It has been a major shock to the family, as Tanmay was a young boy and everyone had aspirations for his future. The family will seek answers from all concerned authorities, including the coaching class, police and local authorities, regarding what exactly happened and whether all necessary precautions were taken during the trip. If there were lapses, action should be taken against those responsible for the tragedy,” said Pintu Vahile, Tanmay’s uncle.Eight students of Winner’s Academy drowned at Diveagar beach in Shrivardhan taluka of Raigad district on Monday. Shubham Kurale is a journalist based in Pune and has studied journalism at the Ranade Institute. He primarily reports on transport and is interested in covering civic issues, sports, gig workers, environmental issues, and queer issues. X:@ShubhamKurale1 ... Read MoreSushant Kulkarni is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express in Pune with 12+ years of experience covering issues related to Crime, Defence, Internal Security and Courts. He has been associated with the Indian Express since July 2010. Sushant has extensively reported on law and order issues of Pune and surrounding area, Cyber crime, narcotics trade and terrorism. His coverage in the Defence beat includes operational aspects of the three services, the defence research and development and issues related to key defence establishments. He has covered several sensitive cases in the courts at Pune. Sushant is an avid photographer, plays harmonica and loves cooking. ... Read MoreClick here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our storiesTags:pune