As Goa sees crowded extended weekend, 12 rescued off beaches

Twelve people were rescued off the beaches of Goa during the long weekend that started with Good Friday and ended with Easter, officials said on Monday.

A spokesperson for Drishti Marines, the private agency entrusted with lifeguard duties at the state's beaches, said eight people in the 26-34 age group were rescued off Palolem beach in south Goa after their kayaks overturned in the sea.

They were rescued from rocks by the agency's Sameer Kankonkar and Praveen Sangekar, he added.

''A 23-year-old man was rescued in Cola beach, while in Dudhsagar Falls a 14-year-ld boy from Punjab who jumped into the water without a life-jacket was saved. They were rescued by the agency's Pratap Kankonkar and Shahnawaj Nadaf respectively,'' he said.

One person was rescued off Baga beach while a 36-year-old man was saved after he dislocated his shoulder at Calangute, the spokesperson said.