Lonavala waterfall tragedy: All five bodies found, search operation called off

The bodies of all five people, who were swept away in a waterfall near Bhushi Dam in the Indian city of Pune, were found on Monday (Jul 1). The body of the last missing person, a four-year-old boy, was taken out in the evening, an official said. 

Local reports have mentioned that 11 people belonging to a family from Pune’s Lonavala had gone for a walk reportedly on Sunday. Five people, comprising a woman and four children, died due to the strong water while six survived. 

As quoted by news agency PTI, Suhas Jagtap, who is a senior inspector of Lonavala police station, “The body of Adnan Ansari was recovered this evening, after which the search operation was called off.” 

Reports have identified the victims as Shahista Ansari (36), Amima Ansari (13), Umera Ansari (8), Adnan Ansari (4) and Maria Sayyad (9). 

The police said that the deceased were among a group of 16–17 people from Sayyad Nagar in Hadapsar, Pune, who had been there for a day’s picnic and were all related to one another. 

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The official said that they were caught unaware when the water level at the site rose due to intense rain and soon were stranded. 

According to the news agency, a relative said family members had travelled from Mumbai for a wedding a couple of days ago and had hired a bus to Lonavala for a picnic. 

Notably, Bhushi Dam is among the popular tourist sites in the Pune region during the monsoon season. The police added that warnings of not venturing into the water are often ignored by revellers. 

(With inputs from agencies)