Teenager drowns, another rescued in separate incidents

August 22, 2012

Bhatkal/Mangalore, August 22: A 16-year-old boy drowned in the Arabian Sea at Murudeshwar in Bhatkal taluk on Tuesday.

He was identified as Mohammad Suhail (16) of Sagar in Shimoga district. He had come to Murudeshwar with his 12 friends and went to the sea for a swim. The body is yet to be recovered.

In a separate inciden, lifeguards of Panambur Beach Tourism Development Project (PBTDP) rescued a youth from drowning on Tuesday. The survivor has been identified as Ansar (21), a resident of Mallur Badriyanagar post, Neerumarga.

Part of a group of revellers who had come to Panambur beach, Ansar consistently ignored warnings of lifeguards while frolicking in the water and was sucked away by a rip current even before he could react.

Lifeguards who spotted Ansar flailing in the sea immediately dived in after him and brought him ashore. "Ansar is fine," said Yathish Bykampady, CEO of PBTDP.

Ansar was part of a group that had come from Neermarga area on the outskirts of the city.

The group was not paying heed to warnings from the lifeguards about rip currents in the area and Ansar almost paid for it with his life but for their timely intervention, Yathish said.

The lifeguards obtained a statement from Ansar and informed the Panambur police about the incident. Yathish said such incidents are now commonplace.

"On many occasions, people, especially youth whom we have saved from drowning at the beach have gone back home and claimed they have never gone to the beach," he said.

On July 14, the lifeguards had rescued Shwetha, a girl from Bangalore, from drowning.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Air India Express brings back Mangaluru–Muscat direct flights from March 2026

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Air India Express has announced that it will resume direct flight services between Mangaluru and Muscat from March 2026, restoring an important international air link for passengers from the coastal region.

Airport authorities said the service will operate twice a week—on Sundays and Tuesdays—from March 1. The initial flights are scheduled on March 3, 8 and 10, followed by March 15 and 17, with the same operating pattern to continue thereafter. The flight duration is approximately three hours and 25 minutes.

The Mangaluru–Muscat route was earlier operated under the 2025 summer schedule, with services beginning on July 14. At that time, Air India Express had operated four flights a week before suspending the service.

Officials said the summer schedule will come into effect from March 29, after which changes in flight timings and departure schedules from Mangaluru are expected. Passengers have been advised to check the latest schedules while planning their travel.

The resumption of direct flights to Muscat is expected to significantly benefit expatriates, business travellers and others, further strengthening Mangaluru’s air connectivity with the Gulf region.

Comments