Five of Borivali family drown in sea off Ratnagiri coast
The incident took place around 5 pm near Arey Ware beach in Ratnagiri
In a tragic incident, five members of a family from Mumbai’s Borivali area drowned in the sea off the coast of Ratnagiri on Sunday evening after they took to the seas despite a warning from locals.
According to officials, seven family members, all residents of Borivali’s IC Colony, were on their way to Ganpatipule in Ratnagiri when they decided to stop at Arey Ware beach, located 15 kilometres from Ganpatipule.
Locals reportedly tried to stop them from entering the sea due to the strong currents. However, the family ignored the warning and six of the ventured into the sea.
“They went for a swim in the creek at around 5 pm and got caught in a whirlpool caused by the water from the sea rapidly entering the creek,” the official said.
While locals managed to save one of them, the other five drowned.
The deceased were identified as Kenneth Timothy Masters (56), Monika Bento D’Souza (44), Sanomi Bento D’Souza (22), Rancher Bento D’Souza (19) and Mathew Bento D’Souza (18).
Locals managed to save Leena Keneth Masters (52).
Meanwhile, Rita D’Souza (70) was the only member of the group that did not take to the sea and saw the tragedy unfold in front of her eyes.
“All the bodies have been retrieved. The two survivors are being taken care of by the police,” Pranaya Ashok, Superintendent of Police, Ratnagiri, was quoted as saying.
Their bodies will be brought to Mumbai today and the funeral will be held after some close relatives, who live abroad, arrive in the city.
