Two teenagers drown in Ulhas river while picnicking

THANE: Two youths drowned in the Ulhas river near the Vasat dam on Saturday evening. The incident occurred near Shantisagar Resort, where a group of friends had gone for a picnic. While swimming in the river, two of them got swept away.

The victims have been identified as Vivek Tiwari (18) and Vinayak Shah (17), both residents of Hiranandani, Powai. The Ambernath fire brigade launched a search operation and managed to retrieve their bodies after several hours.

“The riverbed here is uneven and determining the depth is difficult. It took us a few hours to locate and retrieve the bodies as the water was much deeper than it appeared. The two men too had misjudged the depth, which led to their drowning,” said a fire brigade officer.

Recent drowning incidents

Last week, four Class 10 students drowned in the Ulhas River near Badlapur, while they were trying to wash off Holi colours.

Despite repeated warnings, drowning incidents continue in the river and nearby water bodies. Recently, Nasir Shaikh (32) drowned in the Aapti river on Holi, while onlookers filmed him struggling instead of helping. His body was found after 24 hours.

The same day, seven others drowned in Ambernath, Badlapur, and Vangani, highlighting the dangers of being near deep water bodies. Authorities have been urging people to prioritise safety and avoid deep waters, as a moment of negligence can turn celebration into tragedy.