A rescue operation is continuing after a boat carrying 40 school students capsized off the Indian coast near Mumbai.

Thirty-two pupils have been rescued so far and three bodies, said to be girls, have been found, according to reports.

Ships have been diverted to the area near Dahanu, in Maharashtra state, to help with the rescue.

The boat had been overcrowded and the pupils were not wearing lifejackets, the Times of India reported.

Two of those who died were reported to be aged 17.

The students were said to be from the KL Ponda High School in Dahanu.

NDTV reported that the accident may have happened because a number of students went to one side of the boat to take selfies, causing it to overturn.

Distraught relatives crowded on nearby Parnaka beach to wait for news.

Indian President Ram Kovind said his thoughts were with the families of those who had died.

Boats in India are often overloaded and lax safety standards mean accidents are common.

In November at least 16 people drowned when their boat capsized in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Helicopter crash

In a separate and unrelated incident, the bodies of four people have now been found after a helicopter crashed into the sea off Mumbai.

The Pawan Hans helicopter had been carrying five senior employees of Indian oil exploration firm ONGC and two pilots when it went missing 15 minutes after taking off from Juhu.

The coast guard said the wreckage had been found and the search for those still missing was continuing. It is not known what caused the accident.

Two of the dead, both ONGC employees, have been identified by ID cards.</s>Two children drowned and six were missing after a private boat with 40 students capsized in the Arabian Sea near Maharashtra’s Dahanu on Saturday.

“We have recovered two bodies and rescued 32 students. Search operation is on for the others,” Manjunath Singe,SP Palghar told PTI.

The bodies of Sonal Bhagwan Surati and Janhavi Harish Surati, both residents of Masauli in Dahanu’s Ambedkar Nagar area, were recovered, Manjunath Singe, Superintendent of Police, Palghar told PTI.

A Dornier aircraft and Coast Guard vessels in the area have been deployed for the rescue operations.

District collector Prashant Narnaware told PTI that the incident occurred this morning off the Dahanu coast.

All the students belonged to Babubhai Junior College near Par Naka in Dahanu, an area in Maharashtra’s Palghar district that is about 110 kilometers from Mumbai.

As per reports, the boat was overcrowded when it tilted and capsized.

In another incident on Saturday, a Pawan Hans helicopter with seven people on board, including five ONGC employees, went missing after it took off from Juhu airport in Mumbai.</s>In a tragic incident this morning, a boat carrying 40 school children capsized in Maharashtra’s Dahanu. The accident happened at 11:30 am near Parnaka beach off the coast of Dahanu in Palghar district.

Local BJP MLA Manisha Choudhary also claimed that the boat was ferrying around 40 children. As per ANI reports, 4 students have lost their lives in the tragedy. Meanwhile, 25 have been rescued out of 40 who were on board boat that capsized 2 nautical miles from the Dahanu seashore. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is helping the police and maritime authorities in the combined sea and air operations.

The ICG has diverted at least three ships and two aircrafts to the site for the rescue. District Collector Prashant Narnaware told PTI that the incident occurred this morning off the Dahanu coast. “Massive rescue and relief operations are underway and District Superintendent of Police and local officials are supervising the operations,” he said. Further details were awaited, he said.

“Coast Guard has diverted ships which were at sea and ships are also sailing from Mumbai. Dornier aircraft and helicopters from Daman (near to Dahanu) have also been launched,” said Coast guard PRO on the rescue operations in Dahanu.

In another incident on Saturday, a Pawan Hans helicopter with 7 people on board, including ONGC employees went missing off Mumbai coast. The helicopter had lost contact with Air Traffic Control (ATC) 30 nautical miles off Mumbai, according to news agency ANI. While the search for the 7 people on board is underway, news agencies reported that the helicopter had taken off from Juhu at 10.20 am & was scheduled to land at North Field of ONGC at 10.58 but didn’t reach there. It further said that after 10:30 AM, no contact was established with the helicopter. The Indian Coast Guard has said that they have already diverted ship and aircraft to area and update will be given when news regarding the same is available. Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan spoke to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman & requested for help from Coast Guard and other agencies in the search and rescue operations.</s>A rescue operation is under way after a boat carrying 40 schoolchildren capsized off the Indian coast near Mumbai.

Thirty-two children have been rescued so far and two bodies have been recovered, reports say.

Ships have been diverted to the area near Dahanu, in Maharashtra state, to help the rescue.

The boat had been overcrowded and the children were not wearing lifejackets, the Times of India reported.

India's coast guard said two bodies had been found. Indian President Ram Kovind said his thoughts were with the families of those who had died.

Boats in India are often overloaded and lax safety standards mean accidents are common.

In November at least 16 people drowned when their boat capsized in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

"The search operation is going on. All our local officers and staff are on the spot. Rescue teams from other departments are also there," a senior police officer was quoted by the Indian Express as saying.

In a separate incident, at least three people were killed when a helicopter crashed into the sea off Mumbai.

The helicopter had been carrying five employees of Indian oil exploration firm ONGC and two pilots, when it went missing 15 minutes after taking off from Juhu.

The coast guard said the wreckage had been found and the search for those still missing was continuing.</s>Four children were killed when a boat carrying 40 school students capsized off the coast of Dahanu, Maharashtra, in the Konkan division on Saturday, January 13, morning. Rescue operations are underway and about 32 students have been saved by the Coast Guard, reported ANI.

The mishap took place at 11.40 am when the boat capsized due to an overload of passengers.

The Coast Guard responded immediately after the incident came to light and ensured that other ships that were either on their way or sailing away from Mumbai were diverted. Helicopters and Dornier aircraft from Daman have been deployed to assist in the rescue operation.

Located about 100 km away from Mumbai, Dahanu is a coastal town in the Palghar district in Maharashtra.

"There was an incident of boat capsize at Dahanu Parnaka Beach. A boat carrying around 40 children capsized at 11.30 am. So far 32 children are rescued. Remaining are still missing. The search operation is going on. All our local officers and staff are on the spot. Rescue teams from other departments are also there," Superintendent of Police, Palghar quoted to The Indian Express.</s>At least three schoolchildren died after a boat carrying 40 children capsized off a Maharashtra coast on Saturday. So far 32 children have been rescued so far, while five others are still missing.

Rescue operations are still underway to trace the five missing children, who mostly hail from Palghar district in Maharashtra.</s>In a tragic incident, a boat with 40 school children on board capsized around 2 nautical miles from the sea-shore at Dahanu Parnaka Beach, Maharashtra. So far at least 4 children have reportedly lost their lives while 32 have been rescued out of 40 who were on board boat that capsized. As the rescue operations are underway, Coast guard PRO while speaking on the incident said, “Have diverted ships which were at sea and ships are also sailing from Mumbai. Dornier aircraft and helicopters from Daman (near to Dahanu) have also been launched.”

According to some reports, around 4 school children are reportedly dead while some media reports say that no school children have died, but 32 are missing and 8 are missing. Meanwhile, according to a leading daily, speaking on the incident, Superintendent of Police said, “There was an incident of boat capsize at Dahanu Parnaka Beach. A boat carrying around 40 children capsized at 11.30AM. So far 32 children are rescued. Remaining are still missing. Search operation is going on. All our local officers and staff are on the spot. Rescue teams from other departments are also there.”</s>Two children drowned and six were missing after a private boat with 40 students, who were on a school picnic, capsized on Saturday off the coast of Dahanu in Palghar district of Maharashtra.

Police said that 32 students had been rescued and a search for the missing students was continuing with Coast Guard personnel and local fishermen out at sea.

The bodies of Sonal Bhagwan Surati and Janhavi Harish Surati, both residents of Masauli in Dahanu's Ambedkar Nagar area, were recovered, Manjunath Singe, Superintendent of Police, Palghar said.

Singe said that the private boat was carrying 40 students of Ponda School and Junior College in Parnaka in Dahanu and capsized around 11.30 am.

"The Coast Guard has deployed its ships and aircarft in the rescue operation and personnel from several departments like the coastal police are involved in the search operations," Singe informed.

The location is around 20 miles off the Dahanu Coast, a spokesperson of Coast Guard said.</s>Local BJP MLA Manisha Choudhary claimed that the boat was ferrying around 40 children. (Photo | ANI)

MUMBAI: Search operations continued today to trace missing students, a day after a private boat carrying students on a school picnic capsized off the coast of Dahanu in Palghar district of Maharashtra.

35 students were accounted for yesterday but the total number of students was not confirmed, a Coast Guard spokesperson said.

The Coast Guard helicopter took off at the first light this morning to search the waters around the Dahanu creek, the spokesperson said.

A second helo (helicopter) sortie was also about to take off from Daman shortly, he said.

The Coast Guard station at Dahanu is coordinating with local authorities and school staff to confirm the number of students.

Three girls drowned yesterday and five were feared missing after the private boat carrying nearly 40 students capsized off the coast of Dahanu, police earlier said.

Three persons, including the owner of the boat, were arrested by the Palghar police late last evening.

The police yesterday said 32 students had been rescued and a search for the missing ones was continuing, with Coast Guard personnel and local fishermen out at sea.

The bodies of the three girls -- Sonal Bhagwan Surati, Janhavi Harish Surati and Sanskruti Mayavanshi -- all aged 17, were recovered, Superintendent of Police, Palghar, Manjunath Singe said.

All three were residents of Masauli in Dahanu's Ambedkar Nagar area.

The private boat 'Dahanu Queen' was carrying students of the Ponda School and Junior College in Parnaka in Dahanu when it capsized, Singe said.</s>Mumbai: At least four school children have drowned and more are feared dead after a boat carrying them capsized near Dahanu in Maharashtra, as per sources.

Out of the 40 onboard the boat, 32 have been safely pulled out of the water, while a search and rescue operation is underway to save others.

The Coast Guard has joined search operations and local administrative officers and emergency response staffs are on the spot. Dornier aircraft and helicopters from Daman (near to Dahanu) have also been pressed into service.
A search for missing children is underway after a boat capsized off the Indian coast near Dahanu, Maharashtra. Two bodies have been recovered.