Mumbai: Two children drowned to death in pond near Titwala

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On Monday two children accidentally drowned to death into an excavation which was dug by a private builder to build chawls. The incident occurred near Titwala area where the duo was playing.

Deceased was identified as Piyush Pathak (12) and Mayank Sharma (12). Sharma is the resident of Nandap village situated near Titwala whereas Pathak is the resident of Mumbai walkeshwar area. Both were playing together when suddenly they drowned in a big pond. Villagers and Disaster management team tried to rescue them but they were dead till then.

Following the incident, villagers have urged the Tahsildar to investigate and take action against the concerned person who dug up such big area which created into pond due to heavy rain. Moreover, there were no warning signs placed at the site.

In another similar incident, a 21-year-old Thane man allegedly drowned on Monday in a pond under the waterfall near the Kondeshwar temple in Badlapur. According to police, The deceased identified as Roshan More had gone to Badlapur for a picnic. The heavy downpour in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) has rendered all water bodies in the area dangerous.

"Despite warnings put up around the waterfall, people enter the water. More went for a swim but drowned. His body was recovered by the fire brigade in the evening," said an officer from Thane Rural Police. "We have registered an accidental death report and are investigating into whether others pressed him to go into the water," the officer added.

The satellite cities of Thane, Navi Mumbai and nearby areas on Monday, received heavy rainfall. Several incidents of severe waterlogging and trees falling were reported from Navi Mumbai and Thane. A part of the road collapsed in Ghodbandar area in Thane, work on which was started by the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) in the evening.

"We are investigating why the road collapsed. We are alert and working round the clock," an official from the TMC informed. Six complaints of trees falling and severe water-logging was reported in a majority of the areas and were registered in different parts of Thane. No casualties were reported but several vehicles were damaged in two such cases, sources revealed. Bhiwandi received an average of 200 mm rain daily for over three days due to which water-logging was reported in residential areas. "We are ensuring that the water-logging doesn't lead to any diseases. Medicine is being supplied to areas with most waterlogging," said an official from Bhiwandi Nizampur City Municipal Corporation.

According to the Indian Express, Navi Mumbai received an average rainfall of 242 mm in 24 hours till Monday. "We have received 10 complaints of trees falling and one of short circuit. However, no injuries were reported," stated an official from Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation. The Sion-Panvel highway and the Belapur-Kharghar roads reported heavy inundation due to rainfall.

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