2024-07-02 07:00:02
A day after five persons including four children were swept away in a waterfall located in a “restricted area” approximately 2 kilometres from Bhushi Dam in Lonavala, two more bodies were recovered on Monday during a rescue operation.
The bodies have been identified as that of a nine-year-old girl Mariya Akil Sayyad which was located in the morning and four-year-old Adnan Sabhahat Ansari, who was found in the evening, police inspector Suhas Jagtap of Lonavala city police station said.
A team of rural police, INS Shivaji and members of Shivdurga Mitra Mandal had carried out a search operation on Sunday and traced three victims identified as Ameena Salman alias Adil Ansari (13), her sister Umera Salman alias Adil Ansari (8) and a woman Shahista Liyakat Ansari (37).
On Monday, a team of government officials and Pune rural police carried out a survey of various dangerous spots in the region. The government plans to impose restrictions on people entering these locations in Lonavala region during the rainy season to prevent such mishaps in future. A senior police officer said the district collector will issue orders that tourists will not be allowed to visit certain dangerous spots in Lonavala after 6 pm.
Nearly 19 members of the families of Liyakat Ansari and Yunus Khan from Hadapsar in Pune city came to Lonavala for monsoon tourism on Sunday in a private vehicle. They included a couple that got married recently on June 22.
They had gone to the waterfall located in the interiors behind Bhushi Dam in Lonavala. Police suspect that the flow of water was less at first. However, due to heavy rain, the waterfall gathered momentum due to which ten tourists playing at the spot were swept away around 3 pm on Sunday.
Police said five of them had been rescued, but the other five were swept away into the reservoir connecting the dam water.
Police said the spot where the incident took place is a “restricted area” under the jurisdiction of Indian Railways and the Forest Department.
As per the directions of the District Collector, a meeting was held with officials from Railways, Forest Department, the Pune rural police, Lonavala Municipal Council and other government departments concerned on Monday.
“The place where the incident took place is about two kilometres behind the Bhushi dam. There are boards installed in the area so that people to know it is restricted for tourists. We have identified certain dangerous spots in Lonavala. Restrictions will be in place at these spots as per prohibitory orders of the district collector. We appeal to people to be cautious while visiting and follow the restrictions laid down by the government,” said Satya Sai Karthik, sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Lonavala.
Former corporator Farooq Inamdar from Hadapsar area said, “The victims are relatives of each other. The woman who died in the incident worked as a domestic help. Parents of the children who lost their lives are into a small business of selling bakery items… Of the 19 persons who went to Lonavala, one hails from Uttar Pradesh and others have been residing in Hadapsar area for several years. I came to know that the couple from Sayyad Nagar that got married on June 22 also went for the trip and got injured in the incident, but their condition is stable.”
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