Harshita Nair And Mahial Sran Die After Being Swept Into Ocean Near Yellow Bank Beach

Two Bay Area college students, Harshita Nair, 21, and Mahial Sran, 20, died after they were swept into the ocean near Yellow Bank Beach in Santa Cruz County during dangerous conditions last week.

“SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Two Bay Area college students died after being swept into the ocean in Santa Cruz County last week, according to authorities and family members”

ABC

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office identified the victims as Fremont residents, and Lookout Santa Cruz reported that Santa Cruz County Volunteer Fire Captain Kyle Breton said they were likely swept out into the ocean by a rising tide.

ABC

NBC News said the women were swept away about 5 p.m. Wednesday near Yellow Bank Beach just north of Santa Cruz, and it reported that eight rescue swimmers found them and returned them to shore.

SFGATE reported that the rescue unfolded last week near Bonny Doon Beach after emergency crews received reports of people in the water, and it said one patient was brought ashore at Yellow Bank Beach while the other was rescued at nearby Panther Beach.

The Mercury News reported that emergency personnel responded to reports of a person in the water near Panther Beach around 5:08 p.m. June 10, and it said Nair died June 11 and Sran died June 13 according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities and media accounts differed on what the women were doing when they were swept out, with KRON4 reporting that initial information indicated they were sleeping near the keyhole but that Breton later said there were conflicting reports.

KRON4 quoted Breton saying, "We now believe that may or may not be true," and it added that "Really, it’s more about being aware of the hazards around."

KRON4

SFGATE said investigators believe the women had been sleeping near an area known locally as the “keyhole,” a narrow coastal passage that can become dangerous when tides rise, and it quoted Breton: "The tides come in, and in this case, they swept out two sleeping patients."

The Mercury News also described the keyhole as a recurring concern for rescuers, saying beachgoers can reach Yellow Bank Beach through the opening but may later find themselves stranded when ocean conditions change.

In a separate account, Patch said fire officials suggest they could have been sleeping along a keyhole on the beach when the wave snuck up on them, while the women’s families suggested they were closer to the water because their items didn’t get wet.

UC Berkeley and San José State University publicly mourned the deaths, with SFGATE reporting that Adam Ratliff said, "It is with immense sadness that we have learned that a UC Berkeley student, Harshita Nair, has passed away."

“One woman was killed and another remains in critical condition after being swept off the beach and out to sea during dangerous ocean conditions in Santa Cruz County”

KTLA

SFGATE also reported that San José State University spokesperson Michelle Smith McDonald said, "Our entire SJSU community shares in the grief felt by those who loved and cared for her," after the death of Sran.

Officials tied the tragedy to hazards along the Santa Cruz County coastline, with the Mercury News reporting that over the past month fire departments carried out five rescues in a 1-mile stretch between Panther Beach and Bonny Doon Beach.

NBC News quoted Cal Fire spokesperson Michael Horn saying the deaths should be a reminder to beachgoers to avoid turning their backs to the ocean and to heed tide conditions, including his warning that if "the sand is wet, waves have been there recently and will return at any time."

The Guardian reported that authorities issued advisories following two deaths during king tides, and it quoted the Los Angeles office of the National Weather Service: "Remain out of the water due to hazardous swimming conditions, or stay near occupied lifeguard towers."