SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024
Team Herald
PONDA: Drishti lifesavers on Wednesday rescued five tourists from Delhi, who were left stranded in their vehicle while trying to drive across the swelling river on their way to Dudhsagar Falls.
The five male tourists all aged in their 20s were travelling to Dudhsagar along the rocky terrains when they decided to drive across the swelling river. On reaching the halfway mark, the waters gushed into the vehicle and made it unstable. The tourists tried to escape but were unable to do so due to the force of the water.
The Drishti lifesavers posted at Dudhsagar were alerted about the emergency situation. Lifesavers namely Niraj Gaonkar, Devendra Naik, Hanuman Bhajantriy, Vithal Masurkar and Shanu Gaunekar teamed up and rescued the group of tourists. The tourists were secured and brought back to safety. Meanwhile, the vehicle got marooned in the river and backup was called to assist in recovering it.
It is pertinent to note that at present on account of monsoon season the forest gate stands closed.
However, unaware of the prevailing situation and with no proper knowledge of the waterfall’s location these tourists arrived in Panjim and with the assistance of Google Maps they tried to find their way to Dudhsagar.
On reaching Collem, they were excited to catch a glimpse of the breathtaking view of Dudhsagar and to experience the thrill they chose to drive across the river and their vehicle got stuck in the waters midway. The incident took place at around 11:50 am.
The locals said if these tourists had succeeded in crossing the river it could have proved fatal as it was impossible for them to proceed further since the Forest Department gate stands closed.
They said forest gate is currently closed by the department due to monsoon and often during heavy downpour the river gets flooded. Luckily for the tourists, it was not raining today.
