In one of the biggest rescue operations at sea, 17 tourists from five States were rescued by seven lifeguards within a gap of 10 minutes at Baga beach on Saturday afternoon.
According to Drishti Special Response Service (DSRS) reports, the victims rescued were Nitesh Lameria, Dr Arpit Tiwari, Naman Handa (all from Ahmednagar-Maharashtra), D Khullar and his three daughters Gayatri, Devika and Megha (Kolkata, West Bengal), Omveer and Jally Pawell (both from New Delhi), Pradeep Bhatt (Bangalore-Karnataka) and Bhavneet Kaur (Noida-UP).
“However, six other rescued people, some of whom were doctors, fled from the beach without furnishing their details while lifeguards were busy carrying out the rescue operations,” claimed a DSRS official.
The extraordinary chain of events began at about 2 pm when lifeguards, Pushparaj Tandel and Amir Gaonkar, spotted two victims struggling in a current and rescued them. They were later found to be in an inebriated condition.
While the two lifeguards were undertaking the rescue operation, they noticed that 15 other persons behind them in the surf zone were also getting pulled by the strong underwater currents.
The two lifeguards alerted five other lifeguards on duty and the entire team went into the sea equipped with jet-skis and other equipment. They quickly rescued the 15 persons, including three girls, within a span of barely 10 minutes.
“While some were secured on a jet-ski, others were rescued with rescue tubes and rescue boards. Some were pulled ashore,” said a DSRS official.
While Pushparaj secured six persons on the rescue board, Sharad Mote, Darshan Gawandi and Arun Kumbharjuvekar rescued one person each with the help of a rescue tube. Shankar rescued two other victims, while Dinanath Halarnkar rescued four victims.
Others who also assisted in the operations included Ajit Gauns, Darshan Gaonkar, Shankar Naik, Madan Harlankar, Salvador Fernandes and Alfred Vaz.
All rescued victims were examined and one victim was handed over a to a 108 ambulance for a checkup, before they were allowed to go.
“Despite our persistent warnings not to venture into the rough sea, the tourists were adamant and went to swim in the deep waters and nearly lost their lives,” a lifeguard told Herald.
“To save 17 tourists at a time is very difficult operation that requires quick communication, co-ordination and teamwork,” the lifeguard added.
The lifeguards have complained that many Indian tourists refuse to pay heed to warnings on the beach and opt to swim in the rough sea during monsoons, risking their lives in the process.
Source: www.oheraldo.in
