A young couple riding on a bike was washed away by the strong currents of Gadi river while crossing a bridge in Umroli village in Panvel taluka at 9.30 a.m. on Tuesday.
Heavy rainfall at Matheran hills and high tide on Monday raised the water levels of Gadi river and submerged the only bridge connecting Umroli village with Panvel. Umroli village was cut off, making it difficult for residents of the village to return home. The police said that the incident took place when Sarika (28) and Aditya Amre (30) were heading to Panvel from Umroli village.
Panvel Taluka police said Amre worked in the sales department of a retail shop in Belapur, while Sarika was a homemaker. “We believe Amre was on his way to work and planned to drop his wife at her parents’ house in Nerul,” a police officer said.
Villagers alerted the Kalamboli fire station about the incident and it began a search operation for the couple. When the couple could not be found till 3.30 p.m., the New Panvel fire brigade took over the operations. The construction of a new bridge near the submerged bridge had been delayed by rain.
Amit Sanap, Panvel tehsildar, said, “Local groups and an NGO also assisted in the search for the couple. We requested the National Disaster Response Force in Khopoli to help us. But they had already received another rescue call. On Wednesday, we will seek their help again.” Amre hailed from Mahad and was living with his brother at Umroli village.
Youth rescued from river
In another incident, a 21-year-old man, who was stranded in the middle of Cholai river at Poladpur in Raigad, was rescued by a team led by assistant police inspector Prakash Pawar of Poladpur police station. The police said Tisandas Shriharidar Prasad had slipped into the river and he stayed alive by holding on to a rock and a few creepers. The Raigad police spokesperson said, “The team rescued him with the help of a rope and a tyre tube. They did not wait for the fire brigade’s help.”
