Two 19-year-old college students drowned while swimming in an abandoned quarry in Mumbai’s Dahisar East on Saturday, prompting residents to raise concerns over repeated fatalities at the site despite warning signs and restricted access.
The deceased were identified as Piyush Gupta (19), a resident of Kandivali, and Om Ankush Singh (19), from Andheri. According to the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB), the incident was reported at 10.26 am at Shaikh Khadan in Ketki Pada of Dahisar.
Fire brigade personnel rescued both youths from the water-filled quarry, where they had submerged at an estimated depth of 10 to 15 feet, and rushed them to BDBA Shatabdi Hospital, where doctors declared them dead.
Police said the two were part of a group of four college students who had gone to the quarry to swim. The two other youths survived. An investigation is underway to ascertain the circumstances leading to the drowning.
Police are also probing whether alcohol consumption may have played a role, though officials said this has not been confirmed.
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The incident has renewed attention on the abandoned quarries in the area, which have witnessed multiple drowning deaths over the years.
Prakash Poojari, a resident and a Shiv Sena party member familiar with the area, said warning boards and a check post exist, but people continue to enter through alternative routes.
“There is a check post and warning boards, but the area is vast. If one route is blocked, youngsters find another way in through the hills. They don’t know where the deep pits are because these are old abandoned quarries,” he said.
Poojari said the quarry pits were left behind after mining activities ended decades ago and argued that stronger preventive measures were needed.
“Every year, youngsters lose their lives here. These deep pits should be filled with soil. If the pits are removed, such deaths can be prevented,” he said.
Police said the two were part of a group of four college students who had gone to the quarry to swim. (Representational Image) 
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