Three students from Mumbai in their early 20s were feared drowned in the Ganga after they were caught in strong current while swimming in Rishikesh on Wednesday.
Melroy Dantes, Apoorva Kelkar and Madhushree Khursange — all in their 20s — were part of a five-member group that came to Rishikesh on vacation on August 1. Melroy, Apoorva and Madhushree are students of a college in Kandivli (E). Initial information said they were residents of Borivli (E). A police officer investigating the incident said the two other students who survived were too shaken to give out proper details.
On Wednesday afternoon, the friends who were staying in a riverside hotel in Tapovan, went to explore a stretch of Ganga near the property. While three of them decided to take a swim, Nisha Goswami and Karan Mishra stayed on the banks.
“It happened so fast. Apoorva had waded deep into the water and slipped. The other two swam towards her and within minutes all of them were caught in strong current and disappeared. We could not do anything as there was no one else at the spot,” Karan is believed to have told police.
A search operation to find the trio was called off by evening as the river swelled due to heavy rain.
Station house officer (SHO) at Muni ki Reti, Kamal Mohan Singh Bhandari, told TOI, that the search operation would continue on Thursday. “The parents have been informed, they will be coming to Rishikesh,” he said.
Surjitt Sahani
