2 commandoes drown during training exercise

The trainers drowned as they got tired while swimming back and forth against the current to save four trainees when their boat capsized

Two commando trainers of the junior wing of Maratha Light Infantry Regimental Centre (MLIRC) commando training centre in Belagavi, drowned while trying to save the four trainees when their boat capsized due to the high current in the back waters of Tilari dam in Maharashtra, officers familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

The incident took place when one of the boats with six people capsized just after moving for about 50 metres from the starting point. The two trainers, who were in the boat, tried to save the four trainees (PTI)

Kolhapur Superintendent of Police (SP) Mahendra Pandit said: “A team of a few trainees from the commando training centre from Belagavi had entered into the dam site, 65km from Belagavi district to train young recruits on water-related tasks on Saturday.”

He said that the commando centre had obtained an official permission from the authority to enter into the dam site.”

He said: “The incident took place when one of the boats with six people capsized just after moving for about 50 metres from the starting point. The two trainers, who were in the boat, tried to save the four trainees.”

“After struggling for more than two hours, the commandos were able to save the trainees. However, the commandos no longer had strength to swim past the strong current and drowned,” he said.

The deceased were identified as Vijay Kumar Dinwal (28) from Rajasthan and Divakar Roy (26) from West Bengal.

“After conducting the post mortem, the bodies of the deceased were handed over to commando centre authority, Pandit said.

The officer said that the trainees were in the area for their regular training.

“Apart from the regular training, some of the newly admitted trainees were sent for the river crossing test to Tilari dam site to check their ability,” he said, adding the backwater site of the dam was the hard task to the adventurists which claims a few lives every year.

According to the commando centre, Belagavi deputy commissioner Mohammed Roshan has confirmed that a team of commandos had been to the Tilari dam for a river crossing assignment on Saturday during which the boat capsized.