A picnic meant for joy turned tragic on Wednesday when three final-year students of the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) drowned at the Manora Beach, whereas one student remained missing and another was admitted in a critical condition to the Civil Hospital Karachi.
According to officials, around 15 final-year students of Batch D-26 had privately arranged a picnic at the PNS Himalaya Beach, Manora, without notifying the DUHS administration.
The group had reportedly gone to a privately booked hut when several of them entered the sea. Strong waves suddenly pulled multiple students into deeper waters.
Rescue teams rushed to the scene and managed to save three students, but three others could not survive. Search operations were continuing late into the evening to locate the missing student. The authorities said efforts would resume early Thursday if needed.
Dow Medical College Principal Dr Saba Sohail said the incident occurred separately from the official university picnic, which had been organised the same day at the Hawkesbay Beach for about 150 students, accompanied by guards and other safety measures.
“Every year, final-year students celebrate their last week with supervised activities, including a picnic. Unfortunately, this small group of 15 went privately without informing us. We were notified at around 2 pm and immediately rushed to the hospital,” she said.
Dr Saba confirmed that three bodies were recovered and two injured students were brought to the Civil Hospital Karachi. “One of the rescued students is in the ICU, while another two are stable. One student remains untraced and efforts are ongoing to find him,” she added.
Medical Superintendent of the Civil Hospital Karachi Dr Khalid Bukhari said the deceased had been identified as Ahmed Kashif, Muhammad Asharib Munir, and Syed Ashhad Abbas Fatmi.
He added that another student Abdul Majeed was initially admitted in a critical condition and he was in an intensive care unit, while two others, Rizwan and Rabee, were under treatment in the emergency ward.
Witnesses said the group was playing near the shoreline when one student slipped into deeper water, prompting others to jump in to help. “They were pulled away by strong currents. By the time lifeguards and rescuers reached them, three had already drowned,” one student recalled.
The DUHS administration expressed sorrow over the tragedy, saying it was fully cooperating with the authorities in the investigation. It also issued instructions to ensure the best possible medical care for the hospitalised students. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of our bright young students,” the university said in a statement.
The bodies of the deceased were shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for medico-legal formalities before being handed over to their families.
The incident has cast a pall of grief over the DUHS, officials said adding that a condolence meeting in memory of the deceased students would be held at the Moin Auditorium on Friday at 9am.
