The body of a 20-year-old man who drowned off Juhu's Silver Beach on Friday was recovered after 14 hours by local fishermen, ending the day-long search operation on a grim note.
Local fishermen and the Juhu Police found the body of Vighnesh Murgesh Devendram at 10:30 p.m., about 200 metres away from the spot where he had gone missing during the day.
He was pronounced dead on arrival at Cooper Hospital, where he was taken soon after the rescue, civic officials said.
The accident occurred around 8:30 am on August 1, when Vighnesh and his friend, 22-year-old Rajkumar Govind Subba, ventured into the waters off the Godrej Gate section of Silver Beach. The pair soon started fighting the currents.
While Vighnesh was swept away by high tide, his friend, Rajkumar Govind Subba, was rescued in time. The police say the accident took place while Rajkumar was filming a video of Vighnesh Murgesh Devendram for an Instagram reel.
Even after being cautioned by the lifeguards of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Subba and Devendram approached the sea, a fire brigade official stated.
{{/usCountry}}Even after being cautioned by the lifeguards of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Subba and Devendram approached the sea, a fire brigade official stated.
{{/usCountry}}Though lifeguard Jitendra Tandel of the Drishti Lifesaving team was able to rescue Rajkumar before the emergency response team reached the spot, Vighnesh was sucked into the water and could not be found even after a quick search by the Mumbai Fire Brigade, which got the first alert at 10:24 a.m.
"The lifeguards ran from 100 meters and saved Subba, but Devendram had already drowned at that time," the officer explained.
The police and the fire brigade rushed to the location and initiated a search operation for Devendram.
The police suspended the search operation late in the evening, which was to resume this morning.
At about 11 pm on Friday, Devendram's body floated ashore. Ravi Wadve, a BMC lifeguard patrolling along the Juhu beach, reported, continuing his patrol.
This tragic incident comes days after three men drove the car onto the Juhu beach in Mumbai under the influence of alcohol, ending up getting stuck in the wet sand, police said.
The car was pulled out using a tractor deployed by civic authorities after two hours.