07 August,2016 07:13 PM IST | | Faisal Tandel
A truck laden with gas cylinders that drowned in the Savitri river in 2005 is still missing, say residents of Mahad
A truck laden with gas cylinders that drowned in the Savitri river in 2005 is still missing, say residents of Mahad.
Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
"The truck fell around a kilometre ahead of the [present] incident spot. The two people, who were in the truck at the time, also drowned. I could not find a truck or any cylinder, even though I swam for more than 3 kilometres," said Krishna Gangaram Lad, a farmer living in Navenagar, less than a kilometre away from the accident spot. Lad says a landslide caused the fall.
He added, "Swimming and fishing in this river gave me this hands-on experience of its depth. This is why people approach me for rescuing the drowned. I never refuse." Lad, currently helping in the search and rescue operation, claims to have found three bodies till now. The rescue agencies initially nudged him away when he offered to help but budged owing to his experience.
20 crocodiles found
On Thursday, locals claimed to have spotted crocodiles, which are believed to impede rescue operations. Lad, however, claims they are harmless.
"We found more than 20 crocodiles around the banks. They go inside the water if they see any movement or hear the sound of boats, but they have never harmed anyone. The rescuers are however taking precautions," he added.
Another local farmer who has been helping in the search operation is a 40-something Sanjay More, who suspects that the fallen buses have passed through the Dadli bridge.
"The distance between each pillar under Dadli bridge, which is nearly seven km away, is 15 feet. The length of an ST bus is greater than that. The buses must still be in the seven-km radius," said More. Lad said that if the buses are not found in the monsoon, they can be traced in summer, when the water levels go down.
