Two friends tragically swept out to sea while napping on beach

Two women have died after being swept out to sea as they napped on the sand in Santa Cruz County.

The pair have been identified as Harshita Nair, 21, a UC Berkeley legal studies major, and Mahial Sran, 20, a public health student at San José State University.

The Fremont natives were visiting California’s Bonny Doon Beach on 10 June, and took up a perch beside a keyhole on the area that’s known to locals as being dangerous.

In the last month, there have been multiple water rescues along the coastline between the beach and Yellow Bank, where one victim was just five years old.

According to The Post, a witness called police to respond to the scene after five pm when she saw the women being swept out to sea as they slept.

The women were on Bonny Doon Beach (CAL FIRE CZU/Facebook)

According to Santa Cruz County Volunteer Fire Captain, Kyle Breton, there were around eight people on the rescue team who attempted to pull the women back to shore.

“Both of these patients, we believe, were originally sleeping right at the keyhole, which is an area that we’re finding catches people unaware,” Breton said of the incident.

“What we’re also seeing is that people go through the keyhole to get to Yellow Bank Beach, and then they get trapped on Yellow Bank Beach because of the tides,” Breton said.

Sadly, one woman was transported via helicopter to Yellow Bank Beach before being rushed to hospital where she died.

The other was taken to Panther Beach after being carried in a stokes basket, but unfortunately passed away in the hospital.

According to the Santa Cruz sheriff-coroner, Nair died shortly after being rescued, whilst Sran passed on Saturday (13 May).

The cause of death is still being investigated.

The area the women were napping is known as a spot for trouble.

S for Nair’s grieving father, he told the NYP he did not know what the friends were doing when the water pulled them off the beach.

“I have no idea what happened,” Ahock Nair told the outlet. “I’m still in shock.”

Speaking on the tragedy, the CAL FIRE CZU San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit posted to their Facebook page among the rescue efforts to rescue the women, they expressed the dangers of the mile stretch of water, citing there had been five cases where people had been caught in the dangerous waters.

The Unit also added: “As it happens, during the after action briefing, the call went out that there was another emergency within Santa Cruz City limits and the city agencies had to quickly respond.”