Lonavala Picnic Tragedy: One Of 2 Missing Children Found Dead, Search Op Continues For 4-Yr-Old

A family of 16-17 members from Pune’s Hadapsar area visited a spot near Lonavala for a picnic on Sunday. Due to sudden flooding caused by rain, about 10 people were swept away. Five were rescued.

The members of the family were swept away after the water level suddenly rose.

Bhushi Dam Lonavala: Five people, including four children, drowned on Sunday at a waterfall close to Bhushi Dam in Pune’s Lonavala area while on a picnic. While three bodies were found on Sunday, one was recovered on Monday. The fifth person, a four-year-old, remains missing. 

Police and Navy divers and other rescue teams recovered the body of Mariya Ansari, 9, from a reservoir near the accident spot, a senior official from Pune rural police told PTI. The search is still on for four-year-old Adnan Sabhahat Ansari, he said.

#WATCH | Maharashtra | Search and rescue operation is being conducted by a team of Indian Navy divers near Bhushi dam in Lonavala after a woman and four children drowned in a waterfall here yesterday

So far, three bodies have been recovered and two remain missing pic.twitter.com/dVRzNOLl6y

— ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2024

According to a PTI report, on Sunday, a family of 16-17 members from Sayyad Nagar in Pune’s Hadapsar area visited a spot near Lonavala for a picnic. Due to sudden flooding, about 10 people were swept away. Five of them were rescued.

The deceased include Shahista Liaqat Ansari, 36, Amima Adil Ansari, 13, and Umera Adil Ansari, 8.  

A police official said volunteers from the Vanyajeev Rakshak Maval, the Shivdurg rescue team, and divers from the Navy conducted search operations until late on Sunday evening to locate the missing children. Mariya Ansari was finally found on Monday morning. 

The Ansari family went to see the waterfall near Bhushi Dam but is believed to have been caught off guard when the water rose unexpectedly due to intense rainfall in the area and were swept away. 

As the monsoon season begins, visitors are flocking to the Bhushi and Pavana dam regions. Authorities say they often disregard warnings from the police and other agencies to avoid unknown areas. A police officer estimated that over 50,000 people visited Lonavala on Sunday, according to PTI. He added that as the monsoon season progresses, the number of visitors is expected to swell.