The bodies of three children, including two girls and a boy, have been recovered, while a search is underway for the fourth child. One girl was rescued. Kolhapur: Four children from the same family drowned in a creek at Nanar-Ingalwadi village in Rajapur taluka of Ratnagiri district on Sunday evening while collecting clams and oysters with their parents.
The incident occurred around 4.30pm on Sunday when Junaid Bhatkar and his wife, Heena, residents of Ingalwadi, visited the creek with their five children to collect shellfish, according to Nate Marine police. Mahira, the eldest of the five siblings, was studying in Class 10 and lived in Rajapur. After receiving information about the incident, officers and personnel from Nate Marine police station rushed to the spot and a search and rescue operation was launched with the assistance of local residents and fishermen.
Police inspector Pramod Wagh said, “The search operation to trace Mahira continued throughout Monday but she was not found. the children were playing in shallow water While the parents were busy digging for clams and other shellfish in the creek bed. Unaware of a deep pit in the creek, the children ventured into a dangerous stretch and were pulled into deeper water one after another. Hearing their cries, parents and villagers rushed to rescue them and made desperate efforts to save the children. However, all their children started drowning. The parents and nearby villagers were able to rescue one girl, while the other four drowned. She had visited her family during vacation when the incident occurred. The tragedy has plunged Nanar and the surrounding Rajapur area into mourning. The deaths of three children and the disappearance of one from the same family have left the village in shock. Nate Marine police have registered the incident and deployed personnel at the site as search operations continue to locate the missing girl.