Ganpati Visarjan 2019: 18 dead across Maharashtra

At least 18 persons drowned in separate incidents during immersion of Ganesh idols across Maharashtra. Pic/Shadab Khan

Around 18 persons were reported drowned in separate incidents during immersion of Ganesh idols across the state, police stated on Friday. Immersions, which began on Thursday on Anant Chaturdashi continued into Friday morning in several parts of Mumbai, Sangli and Pune officials said. Drowning incidents during immersion of Ganesh idols were reported in 11 districts comprising Nashik, Thane, Amravati, Sindhudurg, Dhule, Ratnagiri, Bhandara, Ahmednagar, Nanded, Akola and Satara, an official informed, adding that 18 persons lost their lives in these incidents.

The deaths include three in Ratnagiri, four in Amravati, two each in Nashik, Satara and Sindhudurg, one each in Thane, Buldhana, Dhule, Akola and Bhandara. In Thane, a boy identified as Kalpesh Jadhav (15), resident of Kasara, drowned while immersing a Ganpati idol. The incident occurred around 7:30 pm on Thursday, an official said. The bodies of four persons taking part on Thursday in immersion in Purna river in Amravati's Watole Shukleshwar village were fished out, he added.

Similarly, in Nashik, two persons drowned while three were rescued. One is was reported missing, police said. The deceased were identified as Prashant Patil (38), who drowned near a bathing ghat in Ramkund on the banks of the Godavari river, in Nashik city, and Yuvraj Rathod (28), who drowned in a pond at Pahine village near the temple town of Trimbakeshwar.

Also Read: Ganesh Visarjan: 38,000 Ganpati immersions take place on last day of festival

Fire brigade officers and lifeguards rescued three persons near Someshwar waterfall in Nashik. A man identified as Soma Shivanakar drowned in a pond at Dolsar village of Bhandara district, a police official said. Another person identified as Chaitnya Shinde (20), a resident of Malkapur drowned in Koyna river at Karad in Satara district. Whereas in Akola, a man identified as Vicky More (27) was feared drowned during immersion in a water-filled quarry, an official said, adding that the area had been fenced off but devotees cut the fence to immerse idols.

With inputs from PTI

Also Read: Ganesh Visarjan: Boat capsizes during Ganpati immersion, 11 dead, five rescued

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