Lonavala waterfall tragedy: All five bodies found, search operation called off

Representative Image. File Photo

The bodies of all five people who swept away in a waterfall near Bhushi Dam in Pune's Lonavala area were found on Monday, with the last missing child, a 4-year-old boy, being fished out in the evening, an official told PTI.

According to the PTI, the five, including a woman and four children, drowned at around 12:30 pm on Sunday, and the bodies of three of them were recovered some hours later, while the body of a girl was fished out earlier on Monday morning, the official said.

"The body of Adnan Ansari was recovered this evening, after which the search operation was called off," said Suhas Jagtap, senior inspector of Lonavala police station, as per the PTI.

The bodies of Shahista Liaqat Ansari (36), Amina Adil Ansari (13) and Umera Adil Ansari (8) were reportedly found by rescuers some hours after search-and-rescue operations started at the site on Sunday afternoon.

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

A video of the incident showed some 9 to 10 people holding on to each other while water gushed downhill all around them, before a woman, a boy and then a girl got swept away as their grip loosened.

In the video, bystanders can be heard providing encouragement and urging them to hold on tight till help arrives.

As per the PTI report, police said the deceased were part of a group of 16-17 people, all related to each other, from Sayyad Nagar in Hadapsar, Pune, who had come there for a one-day picnic.

According to the official, they were taken aback when the water level at the site rose due to intense rain and were soon stranded, reported PTI.

According to a relative, the family members had traveled from Mumbai for a wedding a couple of days ago and had rented a bus to Lonavala for a picnic.

Bhushi Dam is among the most patronised sites in the Pune region of Maharashtra by tourists once monsoon starts, police said, adding that warnings about not venturing into the water are often ignored by revellers.

According to a police official, some 50,000 people visited Lonavala on Sunday during the rains, reported PTI.

(with inputs from PTI)