Excited city responds unwisely

As curious Mumbaiites flock to Juhu beach for a glimpse of the stranded cargo vessel, MV Wisdom, the police and the lifeguards are struggling to keep them out of the rough monsoon sea.

As curious Mumbaiites flock to Juhu beach for a glimpse of the stranded cargo vessel, MV Wisdom, the police and the lifeguards are struggling to keep them out of the rough monsoon sea.

HT Image

Three people have already drowned since the ship got stuck off the Juhu coast on June 11. All three had been trying to get closer to the ship and were swept away by waves.

Every day more than 2,000 people visit the beach just to see the ship, according to the police and lifeguards. “There has been a huge increase in the number of visitors coming to the beach ever since the ship got stranded. It is very difficult to control this over-excited crowd,” said a lifeguard on the beach, requesting anonymity.

Every day at least one person has to be rescued from drowning, the police said. “People don’t listen to us when we warn them against going into the sea. The ship has become a nuisance for us,” said Madhukar Chaudhari, senior inspector of Santacruz police station.

So far, at least 15 rescue operations have been conducted to pull people out from the sea. The Santacruz police have now deployed a special team to stop people from going too close to the ship.

People are argumentative and rude when they are stopped from going into the sea, another lifeguard, who also did not wish to be named, said. “People tell us to mind our business. They say they know what they are doing and that we should not bother about their safety,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mumbaiites continue to head to Juhu to see MV Wisdom. “It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us to see such a huge ship up so close. We did not want to miss this opportunity,” said Pramod Dange, who works in a private firm in south Mumbai. The Dahisar resident had come to the beach with his family.

“Today, the ship is here, tomorrow it will be tugged away. We do not want to miss this opportunity,” said Rajendra Bhalse, a resident of Sion. “We know it is dangerous to enter the sea, but excitement takes over fear and that’s how many people end up risking their lives.”