Mumbai: Three out of the  nine children who had gone to play cricket on Malads Marve beach on Sunday are feared drowned after they waded into waist-deep water around noon.

Despite a six-hour search, the boys remained untraceable. Marve beach does not have any lifeguards as it is not frequented by swimmers, say civic officials.

The victims—Shiva Gupta (12), Mayur Gaikwad (12) and Jeetu Pashte (14)—were warned to stay away from water as noon was a time of high tide, said locals.

The nine boys, aged 10-18 years, are from Nivetia Compound, Malad (East). After a game of cricket near Tukaram Postman Chawl, where they live, the boys cycled down to the beach without informing their parents.

“They reached the beach around noon. After an hour of cricket there, they took a break for snacking. Shiva, Mayur and Jeetu waded into water. In less than a minute, a tidal wave pulled the three inside as the others watched in horror,” said the father of Atul More (18), the oldest among the nine boys. “Atul is a good swimmer and immediately took the plunge to rescue the three. He could grab the legs of two of the boys, but the sea kept pulling them in. Atul became exhausted and had to let go. He regrets being unable to save his friends and is ridden with guilt.”

Seeing Atul return alone, the other boys panicked. Two—Gaurav Dudhavle and Kalpesh Katkar, both 12—fled on their cycles. The remaining—Durgesh Kahar (14), Jayprakash Kahar (12) and Kartik Ramane (10)—began shouting for help. Locals called up the police. Fire brigade, navy and civil defence personnel, and lifeguards arrived and started a search operation.

“Two months ago, a notice of motion was raised by a corporator about the need to recruit more lifeguards for the citys beaches. The decision lies with the municipal commissioner,” said Vinod Shelar, corporator for Malad (East). “A board displaying tidal timings needs to be put up on the beaches.”