Two children drowned and six were missing after a private boat with 40 students, who were on a school picnic, capsized this morning off the coast of Dahanu in Palghar district of Maharashtra.

Police said that 32 students had been rescued and a search for the missing students was continuing with Coast Guard personnel and local fishermen out at sea.

The bodies of Sonal Bhagwan Surati and Janhavi Harish Surati, both residents of Masauli in Dahanu's Ambedkar Nagar area, were recovered, Manjunath Singe, Superintendent of Police, Palghar told PTI.

Singe said that the private boat was carrying 40 students of Ponda School and Junior College in Parnaka in Dahanu and capsized around 11.30 am.

The students were on a picnic.

"The Coast Guard has deployed its ships and aircarft in the rescue operation and personnel from several departments like the coastal police are involved in the search operations," Singe informed.

The location is around 20 miles off the Dahanu Coast, a spokesperson of Coast Guard said.

?With Agency Inputs