A weekend outing by six engineering students from Pune turned tragic on Sunday when two of them drowned in the backwaters of the Shirwata dam near Lonavla. The deceased were identified as Arya Bandawar (20), a native of Gondia, and Karan Thombare (20) from Satara. Both were second-year students at a private college in Mulshi taluka.
Details of the Incident
According to the Kamshet police, the group, consisting of four female and two male students, initially planned a trek to Rajmachi fort. They left Pune on three two-wheelers around 7 am and reached the Rajmachi area by noon. However, after arriving, they changed their plans and went to the backwaters of the Shirwata dam around 12 pm. An officer from Kamshet police station stated that all six students entered the water. Bandawar and another female student ventured further into the reservoir when Bandawar suddenly began to drown. Her classmate raised an alarm and tried to pull her out by holding her hand.
Hearing the cries for help, Thombare rushed into the deeper water in an attempt to rescue them. The officer added that Thombare did not know how to swim, and both of them unfortunately drowned. The remaining students alerted the police control room and sought help from locals. Rescue teams from Wanyajeev Rakshak, Maval, and Shivdurga Mitra, Lonavla, reached the spot soon after. Locals pulled the duo out and rushed them to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared them dead on arrival.
Background of the Victims
Arya Bandawar hailed from Gondia and was pursuing her second year in engineering. Karan Thombare, from Satara, was also a second-year engineering student at the same private college in Mulshi taluka. The incident highlights the dangers of swimming in unfamiliar and unsupervised water bodies, especially for non-swimmers.
The Kamshet police have registered a case of accidental death and are investigating the matter. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination, and further details are awaited.
