Seven Kenyan students die in Indian Ocean

Governor of Salim Mvurya, Kwale County, Kenya, said on Thursday that seven students drowned while swimming in the Indian Ocean, during an annual trip organised by their school authorities.

He said no fewer than 49 other students were rescued from the sea after being hit by a tidal wave on Wednesday.

The seven pupils drowned while swimming; three bodies were, however, retrieved after a lengthy search affected by poor visibility.

The tragedy, which struck at around 5.30pm local time, happened when about 56 pupils from Saint Martins De Pores Boys School in Murang’a, who are on holiday in Diani, went out to sea to swim without minders or life guards.

The incident occurred at Diani Beach, a tourist destination south of Mombasa, where the pupils aged between 13 and 15 had arrived from central Kenya.

Mvurya told newsmen that the school authorities should have consulted the beach administration before allowing the students to swim in the sea.

Several drowning have occurred in the area where a calm sea can suddenly metamorphose into huge waves.