Ill-fated attempts to retrieve a ball from the sea in course of a game of cricket on Marve Beach led three schoolboys to their deaths last afternoon. The tragic incident occurred at 2 pm, but rescue operations were called off in the evening.u00a0

Swallowed by the sea: Fire brigade officials arrived at the spot an hour after the boys were washed away. The high tides made it difficult for them to retrieve the bodies, eventually forcing them to abandon attempts and halt rescue operations at 7.45 pm.