Satara: One person drowned and two others escaped unhurt after a speed boat overturned in Shivsagar reservoir, police said on Sunday. The deceased has been identified as Gajendra Baban Rajpure (42), a resident of Darewadi in Wai district. Satish Thorve (52) and Baleshwar Mahato (42) survived.
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Meanwhile, with the help of residents, the drowned person was traced. However, heavy rains accompanied by gusty winds hampered the search operation. As soon as the incident was reported, the administration rushed to the spot.
The work on the Tapola-Ahir bridge over the Koyna reservoir is going on on a war footing. Some officers had gone to Tapola in a boat to inspect the work. Meanwhile, the speed boat was found and overturned in a gusty wind in the Tetli (Jawali) area while returning from an inspection of the bridge work. The drowned person is yet to be traced and the search operation continued till late in the night. Mahabaleshwar trekkers have been called in. The search operation is scheduled to begin early in the morning.
Negligence of the construction company
Two officials of the company survived the incident, but one drowned in the incident. Questions are raised as to why they were not wearing life jackets, who was owner of the boat, and whether boat driver have a passenger transport license.