Maharashtra Boat Tragedy: Rescue Boat Capsizes in Ahmednagar, Three SDRF Jawans Drown

In a tragic turn of events, three State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) jawans drowned after their rescue boat capsized in the Pravara River in Ahmednagar’s Akole taluka. This incident occurred while they were searching for individuals who had drowned earlier. The disaster struck on May 21st when six people went missing after a passenger boat overturned due to gusty winds in the backwaters of Ujani Dam. Following a 20-hour search, the bodies of five missing individuals were recovered.

The calamity at Ujani Dam was already a significant concern, but the subsequent accident in Ahmednagar has compounded the tragedy. The SDRF team was conducting a search operation for two youths who had drowned on Wednesday while swimming in the Pravara River bed near Sugaon Budruk’s forest department nursery. The body of one youth was recovered, but the search continued for the other.

On Thursday morning, an SDRF team from Dhule arrived with two boats to aid the search. However, their mission took a disastrous turn when one of their boats capsized due to a large hole and pit in the riverbed, causing six people, including five SDRF personnel and a local, to drown. Three SDRF officials, identified as Prakash Nama Shinde, Vaibhav Sunil Wagh, and Rahul Gopichand Pawra, lost their lives. The search continues for the other three individuals who went missing after the boat capsized.

Among those rescued was Pankaj Pawar, who is safe, while Ashok Pawar is in critical condition and receiving treatment at Bhandkoli Hospital. The search efforts are ongoing for the local man, Ganesh Madhukar Deshmukh – Wakchaure, and Arjun Ramnath Jedgule, who drowned in the water. 

Arjun Ramnath Jedgule and Sagar Popat Jedgule initially drowned while swimming near the dam. Sagar’s body was recovered, but the SDRF team was called in to locate Arjun’s body. The ongoing rescue and recovery efforts underscore the perilous conditions faced by the search teams and highlight the urgent need for safety measures during such operations.