Excited to catch a glimpse of the 9,000-tonne vessel, a group of five boys went to the beach on Friday afternoon, when there was a high tide of 3.8 meters.
If the salvage firm, SMIT, had not denied food to the volunteers of the Juhu beach lifeguard association, they would not have boycotted the stretch near the stranded MV Wisdom and a 15-year-old boy might not have lost his life. Since June 12, when MV Wisdom got stuck at Juhu, a man has drowned and at least 17 rescued at Juhu beach.
Excited to catch a glimpse of the 9,000-tonne vessel, a group of five boys went to the beach on Friday afternoon, when there was a high tide of 3.8 meters. One of the boys ventured into sea for a closer look and got swept away. Instead of calling for help, his friends fled.
“When the boy was drowning, there was no policeman or lifeguard on the beach,” said Joydeep Mukherjee, a local who witnessed the incident. The boy’s body is yet to be found.
On Thursday, volunteers of the association had cordoned off the area to keep the excited crowds away from the vessel. “Our 25 lifeguards are here 24X7 as a moral duty. They not only prevented people from venturing into the sea but also helped the salvage company transport food and water. But on Thursday, when we demanded free meals in exchange for the service, the company refused,” said Naville David, president of the association. So, the association boycotted the stretch near the vessel.
“The area has been proving to be a death trap for visitors as there is a depression beneath the ship causing strong water currents. When the salvage firm refused our demand and said they did not need our help and could manage the crowd on their own, we backed out,” said Bunty Rao, one of the lifeguards.
But the police and civic officials maintained that their men were on duty at the beach. Madhukar Sawant, senior police inspector of the Juhu police station, said despite warnings, people still venture into the sea. “We have deployed eight lifeguards for the 4.5 km Juhu beach, with three guards per shift,” said AN Shinde, chief fire officer. The BMC also deploys a flood rescue team during high tides.
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