Three final year students from Karachi’s Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) drowned during a picnic at Manora, while three others who survived were moved to a medical facility for treatment, a statement by the university said on Wednesday.

According to the statement, a batch of 150 university students was on a picnic at Hawkesbay beach, while 15 students from the same batch had planned a separate picnic at Manora.

The beach trip is part of a “long-standing tradition” where final-year students spend a week celebrating.

“It has been reported that the venue (a hut) was booked by the father of one of the students, where the group went to enjoy their outing,” said the statement.

It added that the college administration had arranged for 150 students to travel to Hawkesbay with security guards and all necessary safety measures.

“However, the college administration and the principal of Dow Medical College were not informed about the separate Manora picnic organised by the 15 students,” the statement clarified.

It noted that the students who went to Hawkesbay beach returned safely to the college, while the tragic incident occurred at Manora.

“In the afternoon, a powerful wave swept one student into the sea; as others rushed to rescue him, the mishap occurred,” the statement said, adding that their bodies have been moved to the mortuary of Karachi’s Civil Hospital.

The statement added that three other students who survived the ordeal were shifted to a medical facility for treatment.

However, DIG South Syed Asad Raza said that five students drowned, out of which two were rescued and none are missing.

The university administration has “issued special instructions to ensure the best medical care for the injured students”.

Earlier, a man drowned while saving his two minor sons in Hub Canal on Sunday.