Team Herald
BICHOLIM/VASCO: A naval team recovered on Sunday the body of an Afghan, who had reportedly drowned at Harvalem waterfall, Sanquelim on Saturday evening.
On a request from the State government, the Headquarters of Goa Naval Area dispatched a six-member diving team to Harvalem waterfall.
After an extensive and systematic underwater search in the probable area, the team recovered the body at 10.45 am and handed over the same to the State police.
According to Bicholim police, Hasif Mohammad Yusuf (29), along with two of his friends Hirsch Curt George (29), an American and Prabodh Singh (21) from Orissa had come to Goa for site seeing and had stayed in a hotel at Calangute. From Calangute, they had gone to see Harvalem waterfall on Saturday evening. At around 5.30 pm all three ventured into the river for swimming.
Police said that despite being an expert swimmer, Yusuf got dragged into water due to strong currents. Police stated that Yusuf was not under the influence of alcohol when the tragedy occurred. On seeing him drowning, both his friends went to his rescue but in vain and that he got slipped from their hands. The body of the Yusuf was fished out with the help of naval team comprising S K Yadav, Anil Singh, Ankit Kumar and N K Nair along with Bicholim PSI Pritesh Madgaonkar.
The body has been preserved at Goa Medical College Hospital morgue at Bambolim and will be handed over to relatives after their arrival in Goa.
