Bay Area women identified as victims who died after being rescued off Santa Cruz County beach
Two women who died after being rescued when they were swept out to sea off a Santa Cruz County beach last week were identified as Bay Area college students from Fremont, authorities said.
Harshita Nair, 21, and Mahial Sran, 20, were believed to have been sleeping at a keyhole arch between Panther Beach and Yellow Back Beach northeast of Santa Cruz on June 10 when they were caught by the high tide, according to a Santa Cruz County fire captain.
Nair was a legal studies student at the University of California, Berkeley, while Sran was studying public health at San Jose State University. On Tuesday, the universities confirmed both students had died.
"It is with immense sadness that we have learned that a UC Berkeley student, Harshita Nair, has passed away," UC Berkeley spokesperson Adam Ratliff said. "We wish to extend our condolences to this student's family and friends."
"We extend our deepest sympathies to everyone affected by this tragic loss," said San Jose State spokesperson Michelle Smith McDonald. "Our entire SJSU community shares in the grief felt by those who loved and cared for [Sran]."
A statement from the Fremont Unified School District said both women were graduates of Washington High School in 2023.
The two were rushed to hospitals after being pulled out of the water, but were later pronounced dead. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office told media outlets that Nair died of her injuries on June 11, while Sran succumbed to her injuries on Sunday.
Nair and Sran were at the beach during a time where the National Weather Service had issued a beach hazards statement for the entire coastline. Cal Fire's San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit said last week's rescue operation was the fifth rescue along a one-mile stretch of beach from Yellow Bank Beach north to Bonny Doon Beach.
The treacherous coastal conditions continued on Tuesday, with another beach hazard statement issued Sunday and extended through 3 a.m. on Thursday.
