Two kids drown in the sea near Worli

Angry citizens say kids could have been saved if a road were constructed for ambulance

MUMBAI: Two children died by drowning in sea near Vikas Lane, Worli Koliwada, on Friday afternoon. Locals, including a senior citizen, managed to rescue three others who went into the water, along with the two deceased, at around 3:15 pm.

Dadar police have registered a case of accidental death.

The incident occurred when everyone in the area was enjoying an afternoon siesta. The five children, staying near the sea, entered the water at the time.

Around 3 pm, Mahadev Koli, a local fisherman and a senior citizen, noticed the children deep in the water and asked them to return to the shore. “He soon realised that they were finding it difficult to swim back – they were bobbing in the water and drifting further deep into the sea. Koli immediately jumped in and pulled three of them out,” said Vikas Worlikar a local resident.

Neighbours pulled out two others, soon after, on hearing about the incident. “The water level had increased in the afternoon and children miscalculated the risk involved,” added Worlikar.

“Quick-thinking locals played their part as they brought the children on bikes to an outer spot, as an ambulance could not enter the congested bylanes. They were first taken to Hinduja

Hospital,” said Mahesh Mugutrao, senior police inspector, Dadar police station.

Kartik Kishore Chaudhari, 8, and Savita Chandrajit Pal, 11, were declared dead at the hospital, while Om Pal, 14, and Aryansh Chaudhari, 10, are being treated. Another girl, Kartiki Gautam Patil, 13, is being treated at KEM Hospital, and is said to be serious, as water and sand had entered her lungs. “All of them are in ICU but Kartiki is critical and under observation,” said

Worli MLA Aaditya Thackeray visited the spot where children drowned.

Mugutrao.

“All the kids live by the sea. The Koli community rushed to help them. Two families have lost their children in the incident – the Chaudharis have lost a son and Pals a daughter,” said Prasad Satam, police inspector, Dadar police station. Officers at the police station are recording statements of eyewitness to get clarity on the incident.

Meanwhile, locals of the area are enraged. They have blamed civic authorities for not paying heed to their requests of building a road alongside the coast to ease traffic flow. They claim the children could have reached the hospital on time, and lives could have been saved, if there were a road.

A representative from Hinduja Hospital confirmed that four minors were brought in for emergency treatment in a case of suspected drowning. “Sadly, two were confirmed dead on arrival. The other two minors were treated by the paediatric emergency team. They are currently under observation,” he said.

Hospital sources said, Kartiki’s vitals are stable but she is still critical and needs to be under observation for the night.

“The children of the area usually take a dip where water levels are low. Parents try to dissuade them but they still manage to sneak out,” said Santosh Gupta, a local resident, adding that the children may have been unaware of the dangerously rising water levels.

Another resident of the area, Sharad Koli said he has always lived in fear that the absence of coastal roads in the area would cost them dearly. He has been at the forefront of the residents’ movement demanding that a road be built along the coastal side of Worli Village. “There is no wide road for a fire brigade or an ambulance to drive into Worli Village, if an untoward incident occurs. If there was proper approach road to the area, may be the children could have been taken to hospital in time and their lives would have been saved,” he said.

Some other residents of the area have demanded that the bravery of local fishermen who saved three of the five children be acknowledged by the government.

Local MLA Sunil Shinde met the grieving families in the two hospitals. When he was asked about the demand for coastal roads, he said that an area has been demarcated for the project and plans for further work are underway.

HT PHOTO

HT PHOTO Locals from Worli Koliwada rescued three children who had drifted into deep waters.