3 boys drown in Marve creek
Three out of the six boys aged between 12 and 14 years drowned in the Marve creek in Malad (west) on Sunday afternoon. Officials from the fire brigade and Indian Navy were running a joint operation to fish out their bodies. The group was playing cricket near the creek and after the ball got hit into water, three had reportedly gone near the creek to search for it.
According to the Malad fire brigade, the incident took place at around 2 pm in the Marve end of the Marve-Manor creek. The three boys were identified as Mayur Nyaneshwar Gaikwad (12), Shiva Ashok Gupta (12), and Jeetu Dattaram Pashte (14).
Malad fire officer, R. B. Soares said, “The water in the creek runs deep within 20 metres from the shore. Also, there are many holes in the water, making it even more dangerous.”
The three boys were part of a group of six boys from Malad (east). They are reportedly from the Ram Gopal Chawl on Nivedita Road in Malad (east) and had travelled to the creek by bus.
As BMC or the fire brigade does not expect public to get into the creek’s water, there are no lifeguards posted to avert such incidents.
When asked why lifeguards were not posted at the creek, Mr Soares said, “The place where the incident took place is near a jetty where boats of fishermen are parked. The creek is not for swimming or recreational purposes.”
When asked what measures must be taken to avert such incidents, he said, “The water in the creek has a strong current and even we are scared of getting into the water,” said Pritam Kolhi, a lifeguard, whose team recently saved 13 persons at Aksa beach.
A police official, on condition of anonymity, said that the fire and Navy officials had to stop operations regarding the recovery of bodies in the evening, as it had turned dark. They
said that the fishermen had been instructed to pass on information if the bodies were seen anywhere near the shore.
In another incident, a middle-aged man is suspected to have drowned in Tulsi Lake in Bhadup. The incident took place at around 4.33 pm on Sunday.
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