Five members of a family were drowned in a water body near Bhushi Dam in Mumbai’s Lonavla. Among the drowned individuals included four children and one woman.
The incident is said to have occurred on Sunday afternoon. The bodies of three individuals have been recovered, while the search operation was halted following heavy overnight downpour.
The deceased have been identified as Sahista Liyaqat Ansari (36), Amima Adil Ansari (13), Umera alias Salman Adil Ansari (8), while the search for missing Adnan Shabat Ansari (4), and Mariya Ansari (9) will resume today.
On Monday morning, the body of Mariya was found by the police. However, Adnan (4) remained missing.
The family of seven is said to have been holidaying in the hill station just 80 kilometers from Mumbai. The incident is reportedly said to have taken place on Sunday at around 1:30 pm. Locals and the police rushed to the spot and began looking for survivors with ropes and trekking gear, reports stated.
According to the police, the tourists slipped into a waterfall and drowned in the reservoir downstream, news agency PTI reported.
Various reports quoting locals said they may have slipped on the mossy boulders they were standing on at the base of the falls and got swept away by the force of the water.
Following the onset of the monsoon in the area, the authorities had warned tourists to maintain caution while visiting Bhushi Dam, Ghubad Talab, Tata Dam, Tungarli Dam, Rajmachi Point, Kunegaon, Kurvande points as the area receives heavy to extreme rainfall.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) weather report, rainfall activity in the ghat areas in the Pune district near Lonovala has increased significantly. At 163 mm, Lonavla received the highest rainfall on Sunday.
The accident has triggered concerns over security arrangements in the waterfall and the Bhusi dam downstream.
