Friendship Day celebrations turn tragic, as two youths feared drowned in Vizag beach

A jolly trip of a group of friends, on the occasion of Friendship Day, turned tragic, as two youths went missing after being swept away by strong waves at Old Gangavaram Beach under New Port police station limits in the city, on Sunday (August 2, 2026).

According to police, a group of seven people including four members of a same family, had gone to the beach. While one member of the group was recording a video as a memory, the remaining six were standing on the well-known ‘Suswagatham’ Rock, derives its name from the Telugu film Pawan Kalyan-starrer Suswagatham, parts of which were shot at the location.

As the group was posing on the rock, a huge wave crashed against it, sweeping a 19-year-old woman into the sea. In an attempt to save the woman, her friend, a 25-year-old man, immediately jumped into the water. However, he too had gone missing due to the strong currents. The other members of the group immediately alerted the police.

The New Port police rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation with the assistance of rescue teams. Search efforts were continuing at the time of filing this report.