Tejas Navale

Pune: In a tragic incident on Sunday, a young man drowned at the Milkybar Falls in Tamhini Ghat after being lured by a captivating social media 'reel'. The victim, identified as Salim Alam, a 20-year-old student from Delhi, had come to Pune for his education. Along with eight friends, Salim visited Tamhini Ghat to witness the famed waterfall they had seen on social media.

The accident occurred around 3 p.m. when Salim, unaware of the depth and unpredictable nature of the water at the base of the waterfall, drowned while swimming. The preliminary assessment by the rescue team suggests that the victim did not anticipate the depth of the water, which led to the unfortunate mishap.

Upon receiving the distress call, local police and Mulshi Disaster Management contacted the Shivdurg Rescue Team in Lonavla. The rescue operation, which began around 6 p.m., was challenging due to the waterfall's location in the valley. The team, including Aditya Pillane, Sachin Gaikwad, Anand Gawde, Rajendra Kadu, Sagar Kumbhar, Mahesh Masane, and Yogesh Umbre, worked tirelessly to recover the body. The operation concluded early the next morning, with the body being retrieved late at night.

The path to the waterfall posed significant difficulties. The rescuers had to navigate large, smooth boulders, some as high as fifteen feet, and often had to find alternative routes. The team employed rappelling techniques to reach the deceased and used a stretcher to transport the body back, facing numerous obstacles along the way. The stretcher was pulled up with a rope due to the tough terrain.

The rescue effort was a collaborative mission involving the Wildlife Conservation Society in Maval, Shivdurg Mitra in Lonavala, disaster management teams in Mulshi and Mangaon, Raigad Police, and the Forest Department. Sunil Gaikwad of the Shivdurg Mitra Rescue Team remarked on the challenging nature of the operation, highlighting the rough and treacherous pathways to the valley. The combined efforts of various agencies ensured the successful retrieval of Salim's body.