Over the past 24 hours, a total of 12 individuals lost their lives during Ganpati idol immersions in various locations across Maharashtra, according to police reports on Friday. The immersions commenced on Thursday to mark the conclusion of the 10-day festivities on the occasion of Anant Chaturdashi.
In Nashik, six of these tragic incidents occurred, with three individuals drowning in Panchvati and another three in the Nashik Road area, as confirmed by an official. Additionally, one drowning-related death each was reported from Umbraj in Satara, Wajirabad in Nanded, and Karjat in Raigad near Mumbai.
Tragedy struck in Ratnagiri district in the Konkan region, where two lives were lost when a tempo collided with an idol immersion procession due to brake failure. Among the victims were a 17-year-old girl and the tempo’s driver.
In the western part of Mumbai, in Juhu, a 16-year-old boy had to be rescued from the beach during the immersion ceremony on Thursday. However, despite efforts to save him, he was declared ‘dead on arrival’ by doctors at the nearby civic-run Cooper hospital.