Kaup beach a nightmare for tourists

In a span of 10 years between 1999 and 2008, more than 80 tourists who visited Kaup beach to spend their holidays had met watery grave. Majority of those who died at the spot were teenagers studying in various institutions in the region.

Tourists venture into the sea to swim without knowing the possibility of dangers. Most of the tourists swim near the Light House rock, since waves of the sea are quite calm and beautiful there. Many had drowned here since the depth of the sea and the magnitude of undercurrent is more in the area.

Though a sign board warning tourists not to swim in the area was put up by the police, tourists engage in swimming ignoring the warning.

Death toll went on increasing even when police appointed men to alert tourists. A 13-year-old boy Sunil Acharya was drowned in a latest instance at the beach on May 18 at 6.30 pm.

Local Swimmers’ role

Local swimmers Padmanabha, Deepak and Yogesh have been engaged in carrying out rescue operations selflessly in the beach for the past several years.

The team had already rescued more than 50 tourists from danger.

Tourist Anusha from Kolalagiri of Brahmavara was saved by the team recently.  But the rescue team too face difficulty since they do not have life jackets or rafts to carry out rescue operation in the sea. There were no response to the requests made by them to the authorities concerned and people’s representatives for providing life jackets and rafts.

People in the region urge the government to appoint an official rescue team consisting of atleast five local swimmers and to provide them with necessary equipment.