Shiv Sena MLA Mahendra Dalvi on Thursday called for better safety measures at Diveagar beach in Raigad district after eight students from Alandi in Pune district drowned during a picnic. Dalvi said the incident was “heartbreaking” and questioned whether adequate safety precautions were in place at the popular tourist destination, reported the PTI.

The students, from private coaching class Winners Academy in Alandi, were part of a 48-member group that included 25 boys, 17 girls and six teachers. Eight students entered the sea and were swept away after apparently misjudging the depth of the water and the current, police said. All eight bodies were recovered.