Pune: An 18-year-old youth drowned in the Kalu River near Malshej Ghat on Saturday after he was swept away by the strong river current. Police said the incident took place around 1.30 pm when the water level rose suddenly following heavy rainfall in the region.
The deceased has been identified as Pavan Sham Sathe, a native of Buldhana district. According to the police, Sathe had come to Pune to stay with his brother and had travelled to Malshej Ghat with friends to visit the Kalu waterfall.
Police and local rescue teams launched a search operation and later recovered his body from the river.
In another incident at the same location later in the day, a 20-year-old engineering student also drowned while attempting to cross the Kalu River. The incident took place around 3.30 pm when the student was swept away by the strong current.
The deceased was identified as Raman Vijay Annapure, a native of Nanded district. Police said Annapure was studying engineering at a college in Pune and had visited Malshej Ghat with his friends to enjoy the monsoon and see the Kalu waterfall.
Rescue teams, along with the police, recovered his body after a search operation. Preliminary investigations revealed that he lost his balance while crossing the river, where the water level had risen due to continuous rainfall.
Following the two incidents, police urged tourists to stay away from rivers, waterfalls and overflowing streams during the monsoon, warning that water levels can rise suddenly and become life-threatening.
