Lonavala waterfall tragedy: Body of 1 of 2 missing children found

Pune, Jul 1 (PTI) Rescue teams on Monday morning recovered the body of one of the two missing children, who along with three other family members got swept away at a waterfall near the Bhushi Dam in Pune’s Lonavala area, officials said.

Search was on for the other missing child, they said.

On Sunday, a group of persons got swept away by the gushing water caused by intense rainfall in the region.

After the tragic incident, the rescue teams on Sunday recovered the bodies of a 36-year-old woman and two minor girls.

Police, Navy divers and other rescue teams on Monday resumed the search for the two missing children and recovered the body of Mariya Ansari (9) from a reservoir near the accident spot, a senior official from Pune rural police said.

Search was still on for the other missing child – Adnan Sabhahat Ansari (4), he said.

A heart-wrenching video of the incident showed a group of 9-10 persons, 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.

A search team on Sunday recovered the bodies of Shahista Liaqat Ansari (36), Amima Adil Ansari (13) and Umera Adil Ansari (8) from the reservoir downstream.

According to the police, 16-17 members of a 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.

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.

As the monsoon season begins, thousands of visitors flock the Bhushi and Pavana dam areas in Pune, often disregarding warnings from the police and local authorities to avoid unknown areas.

A police officer estimated that more than 50,000 people visited Lonavala on Sunday.