Palghar: Four boys drown off Kelwa beach

Four teens drowned in the sea off the Kelwa beach in Palghar on Thursday afternoon. The incident occurred around 1.00 pm, the police said, adding that one of the deceased was a resident of Kelwa while the three others were his friends from Nashik. The victims have been identified as Atharva Nakare, 13, Krishna Shelar, Deepak Wadkate and Om Vispute (all aged 17), said the police official. One of the boys from the group, Abhilekh Deore from Nashik, was rescued by police.

“Four students had come from Nashik to meet their friend Nakare, a resident of Devicha Pada at Kelwa, and they decided to visit the beach for a picnic. While the group was swimming, Nakare – a student of Class 8 studying in Adarsh Vidya Mandir in Kelwa – started to drown. His friends tried to rescue him but they were all swept into the sea due to high tide,” he said.

After being alerted, Kelwa police personnel and local authorities rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation. The bodies of the four victims were later recovered and sent to a primary health care centre at Mahim.

The three deceased boys from Nashik were studying in Class 11 (science) at the Brahma Valley College there, police said. A case of accidental death has been registered.