Three members of a family, including two children from Jat town in the Sangli district of Western Maharashtra, were swept away by strong tides in the sea in Oman during a family picnic on Sunday.
After a search operation for two days, the bodies of a minor and his father were recovered while the search was on for another member, the family members and Sangli district administration said on Wednesday.
The three members of the Sangli family were among five feared drowned on Sunday at Al Mughsayl beach in the Al Mughsayl area of Dhofar Governorate in Oman while three others were rescued by locals there, according to Oman media reports.
On Tuesday evening, local authorities fished out the bodies of Shashikant Mhamane (42), and his six-year-old son Shreyas. The search was on for Shreya Mhamane (9) and the other two members, whose details were not known.
“I am currently at a hospital in Oman where the bodies of my brother and nephew have been brought. The local authorities are searching for my niece,” Rajkumar Mhamane told Hindustan Times over text messages.
Shashikant, who worked as a purchase manager at a private firm in Dubai had taken his family on a trip during the Eid holidays. The local media attributing to Oman’s Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority (CDAA) claimed that members “fell into the sea” after they crossed the fence at Mughsail Beach.
{{/usCountry}}Shashikant, who worked as a purchase manager at a private firm in Dubai had taken his family on a trip during the Eid holidays. The local media attributing to Oman’s Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority (CDAA) claimed that members “fell into the sea” after they crossed the fence at Mughsail Beach.
{{/usCountry}}In a tweet, Royal Oman Police said, “Report: Continuing national efforts to search for missing persons in Al Mughsayl area in Dhofar Governorate. #Royal_Oman_Police.” (sic)
The Royal Oman police in another tweet said, “The search and rescue teams were able to find two people, including one of the three children of the missing family in the Al-Mughsail area, who died, and the search efforts are still going on for the remaining three by the specialized teams.” (pic)
In Sangli, local disaster management cell officials said they are coordinating with the Mhamane family in bringing back bodies.
“We visited their residence, all other family members have now left for Oman after Sunday’s incident,” said Tafiq Nadaf, head of the Sangli disaster management cell.
Rajkumar said his mother is now reaching Oman. “My brother’s wife is in shock and currently at the hospital,” he said.
Local media claimed that a video of the incident went viral on social media, showing the moment the family was swept away by the waves.
The Gulf News claimed that Oman has temporarily closed all tourist sites across the Sultanate due to the unstable weather conditions following the increasing reports of people going missing.