Four youths feared drowned off Rajodi Beach

Four teenage boys are feared drowned off Rajodi beach in Palghar district during high tide on Thursday. Two others were saved by alert locals whereas a third did not venture into the choppy waters for fear of drowning.

Seven youngsters from Nallasopara had gone to the beach on Thursday afternoon and later ventured into the sea for a swim. “After they entered the water, four youths were swept away by the high tide while two others were saved by villagers,” said assistant inspector, Arnala police station, K. Kolhe. The missing four have been identified as: Rohan Jadhav (17), Sunny Palav (15), Sachin Vishwakarma (16), and Chetan Kasav (19), and the fire brigade of Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) and local divers are searching for them using boats, said a police official.

According to Mr Kolhe, the youngsters arrived at the beach at around 1.30pm, entered the waters when high tide was on, and went missing at around 2pm. Locals were the first to reach the spot and dived into the sea, managing to rescue two other youths. The three who survived the mishap have been identified as: Sachin Ravi Malekar (16), Anikit Uttam Sharma (18), and Nama Vinod Sharma (18) and are all residents of the same area, according to Mr Kolhe.

The youths were college-going students and had gone to the beach for a picnic. It is not known whether they had informed their parents about their whereabouts.