Everyone knows how bad the monsoon season is in Goa. While nature gets a thorough shower and comes off sparkling in the aftermath, there is still a dangerous element to the season. Dams may overflow, rivers turn into relentless forces and the sea is beautiful but cruel to anyone that ventures in. Now, even though the monsoons may finally be regressing from Goa’s shores, over the last few days the sea has still been very rough. Weather reports showed that Goa was caught in the path of Cyclone Luban and Cyclone Titli. Given these conditions, the public was warned not to venture into the sea at any of Goa’s beaches. However, there are always certain people that will not listen and it is then that disaster occurs.
Effects of both Cyclone Luban and Titli create havoc
Earlier this week the IMD issued bad weather alerts along with information that the seas would be rough. No one was to go into the water. There was even a sea surge along the coast, reminiscent of the one created by Cyclone Ockhi last December. Shacks along the beaches were affected and beaches disappeared underwater. It was a similar scene this time as well. But tourists never listen to any warnings.
Two rescued, one loses life off Calangute beach
Drishti Marine lifeguards were involved in the rescue operation of three tourists that went into the waters off Calangute beach. These tourists were visiting from Indore, MP. Out of the three, the lifeguards managed to rescue two of them while the third’s body was swept out to sea and could not be retrieved due to the strong current.
Drishti has been warning the public repeatedly about the state of the weather and the sea. Despite these warnings, tourists still ventured into the water. On 11th October, in the evening at around 6:30 pm, the three youth in their late teens-early twenties entered the water. The strong current soon dragged all three out of their depths. Witnessing this, Drishti lifeguards Vinod Salelkar, Ramesh Gaude, Santosh Garnkar and Siddesh Bhagat went to their rescue on jetskis. They managed to bring two of the victims to shore but could not retrieve the third victim’s body. The survivors were checked by the medical authorities and released when their vitals were found to be normal.
As for the third victim, his body could not be found. The authorities continued to search for him late into the evening. Next morning, at around 9:00 am, a body was seen in the water off Baga beach. The body was pulled out of the water and the Goa Police identified it as the third drowning victim.
The state government has issued an advisory cautioning visitors not to venture into the sea due to the unfavorable weather and sea conditions. Side by side, Drishti Marine lifeguards continue to monitor weather conditions and patrol the beaches. The bad weather brought on by effects from Cyclone Luban and Cyclone Titli is likely to continue for the next couple of days.
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Information credit
Drishti Marine Pvt. Ltd.
ItsGoa/OCT/KDGP
