Abhishek & Vikramaditya
Sri Vijaya Puram, July 29: Two youths lost their lives after drowning at a forest water stream at Herbertabad No. 2 under Collinpur Gram Panchayat in South Andaman this afternoon. The bodies were recovered at around 6.00 pm by PMF divers after an extensive search operation, sources said.
According to initial reports, four youngsters—two men and two women—had visited the stream at around 1.30 pm. Initial report suggests one of the youths got into difficulty while swimming in a deep water pool. The other youth immediately attempted to rescue him. However, both of them disappeared beneath the water and failed to resurface.
The two women accompanying them rushed out of the forest area to alert nearby villagers as there is no mobile network coverage at the site. Police were subsequently informed, following which a rescue operation was launched. After several hours of search, PMF divers recovered the bodies from the water at around 6.00 pm.
The deceased have been identified as Mr. Pradeep and Mr. Shahid, both about 22 years. It is learnt that one of the deceased hailed from the Diglipur region while the other belonged to the Bambooflat area.
Speaking to Andaman Sheekha Daily, sources from Collinpur Gram Panchayat expressed deep sorrow over the incident and said the loss of two young lives was heartbreaking. “These were young boys who had just begun their lives. The pain being suffered by their families cannot be described,” he said.
The source recalled that a similar drowning incident involving a defence personnel had occurred at the same location a few months ago. Following that tragedy, the Panchayat had raised the matter with various departments, including the Forest Department, Police and Wildlife authorities. He said it was later clarified that the area falls under the Forest Department’s jurisdiction.
The source said the Panchayat had not favoured permanently closing the site to visitors. Instead, it had suggested that the location be properly developed with regulated public access, trained guides and adequate safety measures so that people could visit the natural attraction without risking their lives.
Police have initiated the necessary legal formalities, while further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact circumstances that led to the drowning. The incident has once again highlighted the need for improved safety measures and regulated access at remote natural water bodies.
