In Pakistan seven final-year students of a Medical University were swept away by strong waves in the Arabian Sea while swimming off a beach in the coastal city of Karachi.

The rescue officials have confirmed the death of three students, while three were rescued and one is still missing.

According to police and local authorities, three students were rescued from the sea in an unconscious state and were shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment and a search operation was underway when the reports last came in.

As per initial reports, the students from Karachi’s Dow University of Health Sciences drowned during a picnic. A batch of 150 university students was on a picnic at a beach in Karachi, while 15 students from the same batch had planned a separate picnic at a nearby beach of the Arabian Sea in Karachi the largest city of Pakistan.

According to University officials, around 15 final-year Medical students had privately arranged a picnic at the Beach. As per eyewitnesses, one of the students was swept away by a wave; the other students ran to save him, as a result of which three students drowned. According to the survivors, the group was playing with a ball on the beach when it drifted into the sea. One student attempted to retrieve it but was swept away by the strong waves. Others who tried to rescue him were also swept away by the strong waves of the sea.

As per hospital sources, two of the students were out of danger, while one remained in critical condition. The beach trip is part of a “long-standing tradition” in the University where final-year students celebrate together after the completion of their educational journey.