Palghar (Maharashtra): Five youths, aged 18-22 years, drowned in the popular Kal Mandavi Waterfalls near the Jawhar town here on Thursday afternoon, officials said.
Police stated, two young boys fell into the water when taking selfies while the other three men jumped for their rescue operation but to no avail. They too couldn't fight back the strong river current and eventually drowned.
Locals alerted the fire brigade and SDRF teams which searched the area for over four hours and finally recovered the bodies of the five victims.
The drowned are identified as Devendra Phaltankar, Nimish Patel, Prathmesh Chavan, Jai Bhoir and Devendra Wagh, said investigation officer Appasaheb Lengare of Jawhar Police Station.
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"We have sent the bodies for autopsy at the Jawhar local hospital. It is not clear whether they had consumed alcoholic drinks. From preliminary investigations it is learnt that none of the victims were swimmers and could not fight the forcefully churning waters there," Lengare told media persons.
Locals said that it was shocking how such a large group of youngsters managed to sneak out for a picnic at the height of ongoing lockdown in the district.
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The picturesque Kal Mandavi Waterfalls has three falls and is at least 100 metres deep. It flows around the year, but due to the recent rains, the water force and currents have increased drastically, making it a risky spot.
With inputs from agency
