VALPOI
A tragic incident occurred on Sunday evening when a 27-year-old youth, Mahabali Patel of Gogol, Margao, drowned in the river behind Navodaya School in Valpoi. Patel had gone to the river with friends for a bath during a family visit to Valpoi, following a function held on Saturday.
Upon receiving information, fire brigade personnel immediately rushed to the scene and launched a search operation. Despite continuous efforts, Patel’s body could not be located. The operation was called off around 8:30 pm and is scheduled to resume on Monday morning, according to fire department sources.
Officials noted that the area where the youth drowned contains a thick layer of mud, complicating recovery efforts. The search team included fire personnel such as Santosh Gawas (SFO), Arvind Desai (L/FF), Ashok Naik (Dpt), Kalidas Gaonkar (FF), Dnyaneshwar Sawant (FF), Sainath Sawant (FF), Pratesh Gaonkar (FF), Dattaram Dessai (Sr/FF), along with off-duty firefighter Umesh Gaonkar and Aapda Mitra Swapnil Dalvi.
The incident has cast a pall of gloom over the Valpoi area, with friends and locals expressing deep sorrow. Several residents visited the police station to seek further information about the incident.
Locals also highlighted that several drownings have occurred at this spot in the past, attributing it to a deep pit in a section of the river. They have urged visitors to exercise extreme caution while bathing in the area to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
