Teen feared drowned at Versova beach

A teenager, identified as Rafique Ulla Sallauddin Shaha, 17, was feared drowned at Versova beach on Thursday. He was yet to be traced till the time of going to press.

"According to initial information, the teenager had been to the seafront with two friends. We haven't been able to trace him so far and are afraid he may have drowned," a senior fire official said. According to the official, there was no life guard present at the spot when the incident occurred around 2.13pm, a few minutes in the run up to setting of high tide around 2.50pm.

"The city has a 140-km-long coastline. So, it is practically impossible to deploy life guards for the entire stretch. We deploy them in areas which are crowded or attract tourists. So far this season, there has been no death reported from seafronts wherever we have deployed life guards," the officer said.

Meanwhile, a senior disaster management official informed to have rescued two schoolchildren near Bandra-Worli Sea Link on Thursday.