2 California women die after being swept out to sea while sleeping on beach

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SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. - The coroner has identified two young Fremont women – both university students in the Bay Area – who died after they were swept out to sea in Santa Cruz County while sleeping on a sunny afternoon.

Sleeping in ‘keyhole’

What we know:

Harshita Nair, 21, and Mahial Sran, 20, had been taking a nap near a natural archway along a stretch of coastline between Yellow Bank Beach and Bonny Doon Beach on June 10 when they were swept into the water by rising tides, Cal Fire said.

Crews were able to find them in the water and take them to hospitals.

But both ended up dying after the rescue.

Kyle Breton, a Santa Cruz County volunteer fire captain, said in a Cal Fire video that there is a certain "keyhole" section of the beach where people often sleep, which ends up trapping them there because of the high tide.

Two university students

Dig deeper:

Sran attended San Jose State University, where she was expected to graduate next year.

"We extend our deepest sympathies to everyone affected by this tragic loss," Michelle McDonald, a SJSU university spokesperson, said in an email. "Our entire SJSU community shares in the grief felt by those who loved and cared for her."

According to Sran's LinkedIn, she was a public health major.

Nair attended UC Berkeley, where she was also expected to graduate next May. She was pursuing a degree in legal studies.

SUGGESTED:

"We wish to extend our condolences to this student’s family and friends," UC Berkeley spokesman Adam Ratliff said, adding that the school feels "immense sadness" about Nair's death.

Both young women attended and graduated from Washington High School in Fremont in 2023, according to their LinkedIn profiles.