4 cousins drown in Nashik’s Gangapur dam a day after 6 similar deaths in Sangli, Kolhapur, Ratnagiri incidents

Nashik/Kolhapur: At least 10 people drowned in multiple incidents across the state in 48 hours, marking a sharp rise in such cases this summer as people flock to water bodies to escape the heat. On Thursday, a family outing ended in tragedy near Nashik when four cousins — three teenage boys and a 21-year-old woman — drowned in the backwaters of the Gangapur dam after slipping into deep water. A day earlier, at least six people had drowned in separate incidents in Kolhapur, Sangli and Ratnagiri districts.

The deceased in the Gangapur dam incident have been identified as Ganesh Gotarne (16), Sahil Gotarne (16), Nikhil Gotarne (16), all from Sawargaon village, and Mayuri Jadhav (21) from Ajaneri in Trimbakeshwar taluka.

According to sarpanch Lakshman Bendkule, the family had gathered for a luncheon before the group headed to the dam. The three boys, along with Mayuri, her husband Pawan Jadhav and another woman, ventured into the backwaters — an area they were familiar with.

The situation spiralled within moments. Two of the cousins slipped into a deeper stretch and began to drown. Others jumped in to rescue them, but quickly found themselves struggling as well. During the chaos, another woman also began to sink before Pawan managed to pull her out.

Pawan then ran back to the village to alert residents, triggering a frantic rescue operation. Locals rushed the rescued woman to the hospital, while trained swimmers launched a boat search. After an intense search lasting over an hour, all four bodies were recovered from the water.

Officials from the district disaster management cell confirmed the recovery and said the bodies were sent to Nashik Civil Hospital for postmortem. The police have registered an accidental death case.

In Sangli district, a 26-year-old woman and her seven-year-old daughter died in Chimankhora Pazar lake at Manerajuri village after a rescue attempt went awry on Wednesday. The police said Satwala Jadhav, a farm worker, had gone to wash clothes with her daughters, Manjushree (7) and Anjali (9), around 2pm. When Manjushree slipped into the water and began drowning, Satwala, who did not know how to swim, jumped in to save the child. Anjali raised an alarm, drawing local residents to the spot. However, Satwala and Manjushree drowned before help could arrive.

In another incident, three brothers drowned in the Jagbudi river near Khed in Ratnagiri, while a fourth survived. The deceased have been identified as Akash Kamble (23), Naresh Kamble (22) and Kailash Kamble (17), all originally from Sangli but living in Mumbai’s Chembur area. Their elder brother, Gopal Kamble (40), was rescued.

The police said the brothers had come to Khed on vacation and entered the river around 3pm to cool off. They ventured into a deep stretch between Khed city and Bhoste village, and misjudged the depth. Residents launched a rescue effort, saving Gopal, but the three younger men could not be saved.

“The panchanama has been done. The bodies were handed over to the family members after postmortem,” a Khed police officer said.

In Kolhapur, Krishnat Patil, a 55-year-old farmer from Prayag Chikhali, drowned in the Panchaganga river. A regular swimmer, Patil had gone for a routine bath at Shingnapur barrage but did not surface for a long time. Bystanders eventually pulled him out from midstream in an unconscious state. He was taken to a govt hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

The police have registered cases in all incidents.