Mumbai:
A picnic turned into a tragedy, when two teenagers and a 10-year-old, drowned at the Aksa Beach near Malad yesterday. The victims Satish Benbansi (18), Akash Benbansi (10) and Mayur Patel (14), were residents of a chawl at Jogeshwari (West). They had left home with six others, two of whom, Guddu Yadav (18) and Jai Patel (12) are still being treated at the Bhagwati Hospital.
Eyewitnesses said that there was no lifeguard present at the scene and it was the hawkers who rescued the other five boys.
The boys had unknowingly ventured into the Arabian Sea during high tide and were carried away by the dangerous undercurrents. Ashish Yadav (20), who had not entered the waters, raised an alarm when he saw the boys struggling in the water.
"As their exams had ended, the boys planned this outing last night. They left for the beach at 7 am. I never thought that they'd never return," said a distraught Poonam, Satish and Akash's elder sister.
There has been a shortage of lifeguards at beaches for a long time now. The BMC has employed only one permanent lifeguard for the 3 km-long stretch of Aksa Beach, whose weekly off happens to be on Wednesday.
Despite the fact that there are larger numbers of people at beaches during holidays, no other lifeguards were stationed.
"I have already submitted a proposal regarding this problem, and have suggested that more lifeguards should be present at beaches during holidays. I will now raise this issue with the Municipal Commissioner and more permanent lifeguards will be posted at beaches with immediate effect," said Ravindra Waikar, chairman, standing committee, BMC.