As a waterfall tragedy in Pune's Lonavala amid monsoon rains killed several members of a family who had gone for a picnic and prompted a search operation for missing members, another mishap at another waterfall in the city claimed one more life.
The body of a 38-year-old trekker, who was swept away downstream after jumping into the Tamhini Ghat waterfall in Pune, was recovered in Maharashtra's Raigad district on Monday.
The incident which took place on Saturday was caught on a video, which showed the man jumping into roaring waters of the Tamhini Ghat and then appearing to be struggling in the water. Seconds later, the man could be seen getting swept away downstream.
The victim has been identified as Swapnil Dhawade, a resident of Bhosari in Pimpri-Chinchwad. As per the information cited in a Free Press Journal report, Dhawade is a former army person and was trekking with a group of around 30 people.
Lonavala Waterfall Tragedy
In the Lonavala incident, the bodies of all five people swept away in a waterfall near Bhushi Dam in Pune's Lonavala area were found on Monday with that of the last missing person, a 4-year-old boy, being fished out in the evening, an official told news agency PTI.
The bodies of Shahista Liaqat Ansari (36), Amina Adil Ansari (13) and Umera Adil Ansari (8) were found by rescuers some hours after search-and-rescue operations started at the site on Sunday afternoon.
Police, Navy divers and other rescue teams resumed the search for the two missing children on Monday and recovered the body of Mariya Ansari (9) from a reservoir near the accident spot first and then found the body of a four-year-old later in the evening.
The deceased along with some more members of the family from Sayyad Nagar in Pune's Hadapsar area had hired a private bus to visit the scenic spot near Lonavala for a picnic on the rain-soaked Sunday, news agency PTI quoted police as saying.
Members of the Ansari family went to see the waterfall close to the Bhushi Dam but were caught unawares when the water flow rose due to intense rain in the area and were swept away, a police official said on Sunday.
A relative said the family members travelled from Mumbai for a wedding a couple of days ago. On Sunday, more than 15 members hired a bus to go to Lonavala for a picnic, he said.
A video of the incident showed 9-10 persons of the family, including those who lost their lives, stranded in the middle of a stream with flood waters gushing down and crying for help while their relatives and other people asking them to hold on to each other.
As the water flow increased, first a woman carrying a small boy, and another girl were seen getting swept away. Later, the remaining persons were also swept away in the waters.
