A 14-year-old boy from Mehsana drowned after being swept away by strong waves while taking a swim in the sea with his cousins on Panchkui beach in Dwarka town of Devbhumi Dwarka district on Tuesday. The boy, Kartiksinh Sol-anki, went missing while swimming in the morning and a search operation was launched. However, the rescuers recovered his body by late evening. Police said five members of a family from Mehsana district were in Dwarka on holiday when three of them, all teenagers, decided to have a swim in the sea. Police said that two boys were rescued by local people, while Solanki was swept away. “A team of fire brigade of Dwarka municipality reached the spot after getting an alert about the incident. Fire personnel, local divers, fishermen and our staff launched a joint search and rescue operation,” Pruthvisinh Parmar, police inspector of Dwaka said adding the teenager’s body was recovered by late evening. Police said that the incident took place between 9.30 am and 11 am when there was a high tide. “While they were enjoying a swim in the sea off the Samudranarayan temple near the mouth of river Gomati, they were trapped in tidal waves and were swept away,” said Bhavesh Sagathiya, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Dwarka police. Police said that Solanki, a school student, had come to Dwarka with his uncle, and four cousins. In view of the rough sea conditions due to the approaching monsoon, the state government had prohibited swimming in the sea at Shivrajpur beach near Dwarka. The Union Territory of Diu has also imposed a similar ban on swimming in the sea.
