Two 16-year-olds drown at Navapur beach in Mumbai while retrieving football; lifeguards absent

Inspector Vijay Patil said the teenagers waded in deeper than intended and were caught in strong currents, likely intensified by the evening’s high tide.

MUMBAI: A carefree evening football game at Navapur beach in Virar turned fatal on Thursday, when two 16-year-olds ventured into the sea to retrieve their ball and were overpowered by strong currents.

Two 16-year-olds drown at Navapur beach in Virar while retrieving football; lifeguards absent

Manthan Dhotre and Shlok Chindarkar, residents of Jivdani Pada in Virar East, had just completed their SSC examinations and had fallen into a daily rhythm of meeting friends at the beach each evening before the next phase of their lives began in junior college.

According to the Arnala police, the incident occurred around 6.30pm when a stray kick sent the football rolling into the sea. In a split-second decision that their friends recount, the two boys ran into the water to retrieve it.

Senior inspector Vijay Patil said the teenagers waded in deeper than intended and were caught in strong currents, likely intensified by the evening’s high tide. “They ventured deep into the sea and were swept away by the current,” he said.

As the boys struggled against the rising tide, their friends on the shore shouted for help, drawing the attention of locals. “Bystanders rushed into the water, managed to pull both of them out and attempted CPR as they were unconscious after inhaling water,” Patil said. The boys were rushed to a nearby hospital but were declared dead on arrival.

Police have registered an accidental death report and will record statements of the boys’ friends and family members to piece together the sequence of events. “We are verifying all circumstances to rule out any foul play,” the officer added.

Lack of safety measures at Navapur beach

A nearly 12 km stretch that remains popular with locals continues to be poorly monitored. Despite its size, no lifeguards were present at the time of the incident. Residents have repeatedly raised concerns over the absence of trained personnel, warning systems and restrictions during high tide.

Back in Jivdani Pada, the boys’ families remain in deep shock and mourning after the news of the death reached them, struggling to come to terms with the sudden loss.

Thursday’s incident adds to a troubling pattern along the Virar-Arnala coastline. On June 29 last year, the bodies of a couple were found on Arnala beach in what police suspected was a suicide pact. On August 11, the body of a 17-year-old boy was recovered from the same stretch during a morning patrol.