Drowning unfortunate but tourists should be cautious: Goa Minister

Panaji, June 12 (IANS) Goa Tourism authorities on Tuesday described the drowning of three tourists from Maharashtra on Monday as "unfortunate", but added that tourists should be cautious about swimming in the rough seas, especially during monsoon.

"The incident is unfortunate, can't do anything about it. But we cannot keep an eye on every one. Goa has a 105-km coastline. We already issued a warning against swimming in the rough seas," Goa Tourism Development Corporation Chairman and BJP MLA Nilesh Cabral told reporters here.

"Swimming in the sea at 5 a.m., especially in the monsoon, is not right. There were red warning flags on the beach, which means you cannot swim in the sea. Tourists should enjoy, but with precautions."

Three tourists from Maharashtra's Akola district drowned and two are missing after a group of 14 ventured into the sea early on Monday. Efforts to trace the missing tourists are on.

Private beach management agency Drishti Marine, which deploys lifeguards on popular Goa beaches, last week issued a warning against swimming in the sea on account of rough currents.

Cabral also said that the Tourism Department would consult with the private agency to work out a mechanism through which such tragedies could be averted, but added that unless tourists are responsible, such incidents cannot be avoided.

"We will check with Drishti, how we can avoid such incidents. If we block people (access to the beach), then it is an issue about rights of the people," he said.