Tourist family swept to their deaths during beach trip
A father and his two children were washed out to sea after they climbed over a fence at a beach while on holiday.
A video of the incident was shared by police and shows people down by the water in Oman as waves violently crash into the shore.
People cheer as a wave smacks into the rocks, sending walls of whitewash high into the air, spraying the crowds with water.
In the background, a crowd of people can be seen standing behind a railing, while dozens of daredevils stand along the rocky edge toying with danger.
A huge wave strikes, knocking several people off their feet. As the whitewash quickly recedes, three people struggle to find their feet and are sucked down the rocks and into the ocean.
A man tries to run down the rock face to help, but it’s too late. In the background, the cheering turns to screaming.
Family identified as two bodies found
After the video of the incident went viral on social media, the three who were swept out to sea were identified.
Shashikant Mhamane, 42, was visiting Oman with his wife and three children on July 10.
The family lived in Dubai but were from Maharashtra, India’s most populous state and were only in Oman for a day trip.
When the wave came crashing into the shore, Mr Mhamane jumped into action and tried to save his two younger children, his daughter Shruti, 9, and son Shreyas, 6, NDTV reported.
Sadly, Mr Mhamane and Shreyas have been confirmed dead, while authorities were still looking for Shruti as of July 16, according to The Siasat Daily.
There are also reports that Mr Mhamane’s wife and eldest daughter survived.
On Twitter, the Royal Oman Police said the incident happened when the family crossed the safety fence at Mughsail Beach and went on the “rocky cliff”.
It appears authorities closed the beach following the incident, however a tweet from the police indicated the beach was once again open.
“The Royal Oman Police calls on visitors to the site to adhere to public safety guidelines, not to cross the protection fence, pay attention to children, not leave them alone, and stay away from dangerous places and rocky edges,” a tweet from July 18 read.
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