1 dead, 1 critical, 1 missing as students venture into sea at Mahim

MUMBAI: One student died, another is critical and a third one has gone missing after a group of five boys decided to take a dip in the sea at Mahim following Holi festivities on Monday. Police said all five students had stepped out of their houses in Navjeevan Kamgar Chawl in Mahim West saying they were going to eat Vada pav.

The students were identified as Harsh Kinjale, 15; Yash Kagad, 19; Om Laut, 16; Kunal Bachade, 19; and Roshan Kaunwar, 17. Kinjale, who died, was a first-year student in junior college, as was Kagad, who is missing. Laut and Kaunwar were in SSC and Bachade was in HSC, said police officials. The students had gone to Mahim beach around 3.30pm, they added.

“Harsh, Yash and Om went into to the water and soon started shouting for help. The other two went to help them. Residents and local fishermen too rushed to help the drowning boys. Except for Yash, all the students were brought out of the water,” said a police officer from Mahim police station.

Harsh Kinjale and Om Laut were taken to Hinduja Hospital as water had entered their stomach through the nose and mouth. “Harsh died while undergoing treatment while Om is critical,” said the officer. Shivaji Park fire-brigade officials searched for Yash Kagad till the evening, when they had to call off the operation due to bad visibility, he added.

Kagad’s father works in a private firm as an engineer and his mother works in a salon; he was their only child.

The police have registered an accidental death report (ADR) and the search for Kagad will be restarted on Tuesday morning, said officials.

“The incident has shocked the whole area the boys played Holi till 3pm and then decided to go and eat Vada pav. But instead, they went to the sea and got down in the waters,” said a relative of one of the youths.