Minor falls into river in Pune while taking photo; rescued
Friday saw high drama at Harris Bridge in Dapodi as a boy, 16, was rescued in a daring operation by the Pimpri-Chinchwad fire brigade after he fell into a swollen and fast-flowing Mula River while attempting a photo stunt. The incident occurred at around 1.40 pm on Friday when the boy, a resident of Dapodi, slipped and fell from Harris Bridge into the waters of the Mula River below. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)
The incident occurred at around 1.40 pm on Friday when the boy, a resident of Dapodi, slipped and fell from Harris Bridge into the waters of the Mula River below. The boy was trying to jump from one pole of the bridge to another in a bid to click a one-off photograph when he slipped and fell into the river beneath. A crowd had gathered for the Palkhi procession, and those who witnessed the accident immediately contacted the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) emergency services.
Upon receiving a call at around 1.45 pm, the Pimpri-Chinchwad fire brigade rushed its team to the site. The height of Harris Bridge, which connects Pimpri-Chinchwad and Pune, is around 25 metres which is tall enough not to be submerged even in severe Pune monsoons. According to officials, the waters of the Mula River were flowing at high speed due to heavy rain. The fire brigade team launched a daring operation using a rescue boat with an outboard motor (OBM) to rescue the teenager who had fallen into the fast-flowing river. Special thanks to fire brigade sub-officer Vikas Naik who made a brave and determined effort to pull the boy out of swirling waters. Naik said that during the rescue operation, the team had to take a detour thrice because of the Palkhi procession and because the road from Bapodi to Harris Bridge was submerged by the rising river. 'We took the boat from the College of Military Engineering and entered the river. The boat, despite having a 25-horsepower motor, was stuck twice due to the water current. The boy was successfully rescued in the next 10 minutes. Fortunately, he escaped with minor injuries,' said Naik.
After being rescued, the teenager was handed over to his parents who were present at the spot. The swift and coordinated action was led by Naik and Rupesh Jadhav; along with firemen Prathamesh Bhosale and Vishal Chavan; trainee firefighter Avishkar Pisal; and other members of the fire brigade team, officials said.
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