Mumbai: 21-yr-old falls into sea at Bandstand, drowns

Her parents and younger sister, who witnessed the incident, could not do anything to save her even as she cried for help (Via Wikipedia)

A 21-year-old woman died after she lost balance and fell into the sea at Bandra Bandstand Monday afternoon. The woman, from Tamil Nadu, was in Mumbai on vacation with her four-member family. The woman, Meenakshi Priya Rajesh, an engineering student, was standing close to the water near the selfie point at Bandra Fort at Bandstand when a wave hit her and she lost her balance and fell.

Her parents and younger sister, who witnessed the incident, could not do anything to save her even as she cried for help, police said.
“The girl and her family were having sandwiches near that selfie point around 3.15 pm. The girl was standing right next to a sign that warns people from going into the water. Her father even told her to be careful and mentioned what the sign said. The girl took a step back while talking to her parents and then a wave came and pulled her in,” said Pandit Nivruti Thackeray, senior inspector at Bandra police station.

The woman’s body was retrieved an hour later from the sea near the Bandra-Worli sealink. The family had reached Mumbai on April 29. According to the police, the family returned home with the body of the deceased on Tuesday. In January last year, 18-year-old Tarannum Ansari had drowned near the same area at Bandstand while clicking a selfie with two classmates on the edge of a small rocky cliff. She had fallen into the water along with her friend Masturi Khan after a wave hit them and they lost their balance.

Ramesh Walunj, a 40-year-old local, had rushed to their help after hearing their screams and dived in after them. He managed to save Khan, but was swept away along with Ansari by strong waves. “We have not had any incident like that since then. But what happened on Monday was unfortunate,” the senior inspector added. An accidental death report has been filed at Bandra police station.