Chennai, January 12, 2014, dhns:

Three women from Bangalore drowned in the sea off Mamallapuram on Sunday. The women were part of a 57-member group which had come to visit the famous seashore village three days ago, police from headquarters said. 

The victims were identified as S Geetha, 23, J Hemavathy, 32, and N Kasthuri, 23, of Narayanapuram from Karnataka.

On a religious trip, the tourists had come to play in the sea. Though most of the group were gathered at one place, the trio, believed to be friends, were playing in the water a little further away.

Police said that a huge wave washed them away. Since it was a Sunday, there was a huge crowd on the beach and the tourist group failed to notice the women’s absence immediately. After realising that the three women were missing, the group alerted locals who searched for them in vain.