Beachgoer Who Died After Being Swept Out To Sea Identified As Berkeley Student: Report

Berkeley, CA — One of two women who died after being swept out to sea in Santa Cruz County last week has been identified as a Berkeley student, according to an ABC7 report.

Harshita Nair, who attended UC Berkeley, and Mahial Sran, a San Jose State University student, were at Panther Beach in Santa Cruz County on Wednesday, June 10, when a wave pulled them in, according to the report.

It's unclear exactly what led up to the women being pulled out to sea. Fire officials suggest they could have been sleeping along a keyhole on the beach when the wave snuck up on them.

"Which is an area we're finding catches people unaware," Santa County Fire Department Volunteer Fire Captain Kyle Breton said. "The tides come in, and in this case they swept them, two sleeping patients, and what we're also seeing is that people go through the keyhole to get to Yellow Bank Beach, and then they get Yellow Bank Beach because the tides come in."

The women's families, however, suggest they were closer to the water because their items didn't get wet, according to the ABC7 report.

Several rescuers dove into the water and pulled the women out. They were taken to local hospitals where they died, authorities said.

Nair's LinkedIn says she was a legal studies student at UC Berkeley with an academic focus on criminal law and legal institutions. She was also an intern within the student government.

Sran studied public health and psychology at San Jose State University, according to her LinkedIn. Her bio says she was President of the Public Health Peer Ambassadors Club.

Read more from ABC7.