Puri, Nov. 27: Two engineers of a private company in Bhubaneswar were feared dead after they went missing today while taking a bath in the sea at Puri.

The engineers have been identified as Sonu Gupta, 25, of Chhattisgarh and Hemanta Choudhury, 27, of Maharashtra. The incident took place near Digabarini Khunti on the Puri beach.

One of the colleagues of the deceased Ashwini Shukla said: “Twelve of our colleagues reached Puri today. While we went for a bath in the sea, three of our colleagues ventured deep into the sea. A wave suddenly hit them and two of our friends were swept away. We tried to rescue them, but our efforts proved futile.”

Shukla said nolias (local fishermen engaged to guide and rescue tourists) present on the beach also tried to save them, but they could not be traced. Officers at Puri beach police station said efforts were been made to retrieve the bodies. Last month, nine tourists had died in Puri while taking bath. So far, 20 persons have drowned while bathing in Puri this year so far. In contrast, 24 deaths occurred in 2008, 19 in 2009 and 25 in 2010.

Worried over the rising number of deaths, the tourism department has asked all hoteliers in Puri to educate tourists about safety measures to be taken while bathing.

Tourism officer Bijay Chandra Jena said: “We have asked hoteliers to put up signboards asking tourists to engage nolia while taking bath. They can also use life jackets distributed free on the beach.”

An official said the stretch of the sea between Konark and Puri had been witnessing high tides since the tsunami hit the south-east coast of India in 2004. High tides had also become routine at Gopalpur.