Holi celebration turns tragic as five drown at beach in Nalasopara

(From left) Nisha Maurya and her daughter Priya are missing while her son Prashant's body has been found. Kanchan Gupta and Shital Gupta who are also missing, are sisters-in-law. Pics/Hanif Patel

A quiet celebration for Holi proved to be tragic for two families from Vasai. Five of their members drowned at the Kollam beach in Nalasopara on Thursday afternoon. The Arnala police and a fire brigade team from the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) began a search operation, but found only one body by evening.

According to the police, nine members of two families, neighbours from Manavmandir Complex at Vasai West, had gone to Kollam beach to enjoy the Holi festival. Six of them entered the sea to bathe and were caught up in the waves. Five of them drowned while one of them managed to survive and inform their relatives.

The missing persons were identified as Nisha Kamlesh Maurya, 38, her son Prashant, 18, and daughter Priya, 19; and Kanchan Mukesh Gupta, 33, and Shital Dinesh Gupta, 32, who are sisters-in-law. Pradeep Rakesh Gupta, 20, a nephew of Kanchan and Shital survived.

The Maurya family has a fabrication business while the Guptas have a well-known bhel-puri shop. Rakesh Gupta and his wife, along with Kamlesh Maurya, decided to sit on the beach, while the six others decided to enter the water.

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'Dragged into the sea'

Pradeep said, "I, my parents, two aunts (Kanchan and Shital) and four family members of the Mauryas reached the beach at around 1:30 pm. Some of us went into the sea at around 2:30 pm. We were enjoying when suddenly due to some high waves,

we were dragged into the sea and started drowning. I tried to pull one of my aunts who was closer to me. But I also started being dragged in. Somehow, I saved myself and came out to inform the family for help. By the time they got help, the others had disappeared in the water." "Late on Thursday only the body of Prashant Maurya was recovered. Four women are missing," said Police Inspector Lengare from Arnala police station.

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