Palghar teen drowns, another missing after being swept away by strong currents at Arnala beach

A 17yearold boy drowned while another remains missing after the two were swept away by strong sea currents at Arnala beach in Maharashtras Palghar district Rescue teams continued search operations on Friday but rough weather high tides and strong waves hampered efforts to trace the missing teenagerThe incident occurred on Thursday at Arnala beach in Virar on the outskirts of Mumbai when four teenagers entered the sea for a swim despite rough conditionsFour teenagers swept into deep waters by strong currentsAccording to officials the four minors ventured into the sea when they were pulled into deeper waters by powerful currents Lifeguards stationed at the beach immediately launched a rescue operation and managed to bring two of the boys safely back to shoreHowever the remaining two teenagers were swept away by the strong current prompting an extensive search operation involving multiple agenciesAuthorities said the incident took place despite warnings about hazardous sea conditions during the ongoing monsoon seasonOne body recovered search continues for missing teenOfficials confirmed that the body of 17yearold Ayaan Zakir Hussain was recovered on Friday morningThe second missing teenager identified as 17yearold Shoaib had not been traced at the time of filing this reportVivekanand Kadam chief of the Palghar disaster management cell said teams from the revenue department police and local lifeguards are continuing the search operationHe added that adverse weather conditions including high tides and massive waves have significantly affected rescue effortsThe search mission will be intensified as soon as the sea conditions improve the official saidRescue teams battle rough sea conditionsEarlier an official from the Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation VVCMC fire brigade said the department received an emergency call at around 1045 am on Thursday after four boys entered the sea and found themselves unable to return to shoreOnduty lifesavers immediately launched a rescue operation and managed to pull two of the boys to safety However the other two were swiftly carried away by the strong current the official saidThe official said rescue operations have been challenging because of turbulent sea conditionsOur rescue boat struggled to withstand the turbulent waves Currently the tide is so strong that even trained swimmers cannot brave the water the fire brigade official addedAuthorities urge public to avoid entering the seaArnala Sarpanch Nandkumar Gharat said warning boards had been installed across the beach but many visitors continued to ignore safety advisories and enter the waterThese boys bypassed the attention of the lifesavers on duty entered the water and were subsequently washed away by the tide Gharat said appealing to citizens and tourists to avoid venturing into the sea during rough weatherThe district administration has already imposed prohibitory orders restricting entry near water bodies across the region during the monsoon due to the increased risk of drowning and floodingSeparate drowning incident reported in MumbaiIn a separate incident a 10yearold boy drowned in a lake in Mumbais Andheri West area on July 13According to a civic official the incident occurred at the Wireless Compound in Juhu Gully DN Nagar at around 225 pm Police informed civic authorities that two to three children from a nearby slum had entered the lake which is located on private property to swimAs per information received from police two to three children from a nearby slum had gone swimming in the lake which is located on private property One of them identified as Dinesh Basawraj Harijan 10 drowned and a search operation has been launched the official informedWith inputs from PTI