Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Four persons died in two separate incidents at Harsul Lake on Sunday afternoon. Three youths drowned while swimming, while a 25-year-old man allegedly died by suicide shortly after by jumping into the water.
Police identified the deceased swimmers as Aafan Khan (16) and Maishid alias Adil Shaikh (15), residents of Nizamganj, Bhavani Nagar. The third youth, who had reportedly attempted to rescue them, remained unidentified till late night. In the second incident, Yash Dehade (25), a resident of Siddharth Nagar, N-12 Hudco, allegedly ended his life by leaping into the lake, said police inspector Swati Kedar.
According to police, three friends had reached the lake around 1 pm. Two of them entered the water, while the third stayed back on the bank as he could not swim. After venturing deeper, the duo is believed to have misjudged the depth and got trapped in slush. An unidentified youth present nearby jumped in to help but all three sank before assistance arrived. A municipal security guard alerted the fire brigade, which retrieved the bodies and shifted them to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). Soon after the rescue operation, the second incident occurred near the filtration area. Despite immediate efforts by security staff and fire personnel, the youth could not be revived. An accidental death report has been registered at Harsul police station.
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Tailor father waits in silence
A 14-year-old boy, Adil (Maishid) Mohsin Shaikh, lost his life after drowning at Harsul Lake, leaving his family devastated. His body, along with the other victims, was brought to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for post-mortem, where residents of Bhavani Nagar gathered in large numbers. A tailor by profession, he supports the family through daily wage work at his sewing machine. His son, a Class VIII student of Gyanprasad School in Sanjaynagar, was described by relatives as a bright child with aspirations. The family, including his sister, is struggling to come to terms with the sudden loss.
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Two friends gone within hours
In the same incident, 15-year-old Aafan Khan, also from Bhavani Nagar, drowned. His father works as a plumber, and he has four brothers. According to relatives, another boy ran home to inform the family about the tragedy. Residents said Aafan and Adil, who lived opposite each other, were close friends. They were seen playing mobile games in the morning. By evening, both had lost their lives. It remains unclear whether they knew how to swim.