After being dragged for more than a kilometre, the nullah that had swallowed him up, miraculously spat him back out. Incredibly, he landed right at the feet of rescue workers, who swiftly pulled him to safety
The spot where they fell into the nullah
When Gaurav Ugle, 20, fell into an overflowing nullah, he thought the water was going to kill him. But after dragging him for more than a kilometre, the very nullah that had swallowed him up, miraculously spat him back out. Incredibly, he landed right at the feet of rescue workers, who swiftly pulled him to safety.
Gaurav Ugle (left) had fallen into the nullah with Pratik Ghatal (above), who is missing
The incident took place at 5.30 pm yesterday, as Gaurav and his friend Pratik Ghatal were crossing the nullah at Raval Pada, Dahisar East. Because of heavy flooding, the dilapidated wooden walkway over the nullah gave way, and both youths fell into the water.
As Gaurav Ugle and his friend Pratik Ghatal cross the nullah, the dilapidated wooden plankway gives way and they fall. Illustrations/Ravi Jadhav
Gaurav and Pratik are members of a dhol-tasha troupe and were crossing the drain to get their equipment. "I had doubts about crossing the old bridge, but Pratik convinced me to go. I realised that the wooden plank was about to collapse, so I grabbed Pratik's hand and tried to get to the other side. But Pratik lost his balance and both of us fell," said Gaurav, who was admitted in the ICU at Shatabdi Hospital after his serendipitous escape. Pratik was not as fortunate, however, and is still missing.
Volunteers spot the drowning duo and chase after them, but the water is flowing too fast for anyone to help. They flow down the nullah for a kilometre
Knocked out
Gaurav recalled, "As neither of us knew how to swim, I tried to hold my breath. I did not leave Pratik's hand. The last thing I remember is trying to get us out, before the water's strong current and shortness of breath knocked me out."
Gaurav wasn't conscious for the rest of the story, but eyewitnesses saw him being dragged by the current for more than 1 km. Some rescue workers even chased after him, trying to pull him out, but the water's force was too great.
Miraculously, it is the speed of the current that saves Gaurav. As the nullah arrives at a bend, it spits Gaurav out, right at the feet of rescue workers. They spot his hand and yank him out of the water
So fast was the nullah flowing that when it arrived at a bend, it crashed into a wall straight ahead and broke the structure. Volunteers quickly gathered and made a human chain along the broken wall to prevent people from falling into the river. A little later, the nullah once again crashed into the same spot, this time flinging Gaurav out, right at the feet of the rescue workers.
Gaurav returns to consciousness as the rescuers resuscitate him and pump the nullah water out of his stomach
Hey, that's a hand!
"The nullah water was overflowing on the road through the broken wall, and there was 4-5 feet of water all around. Suddenly, something hit my legs. When I realised it was a human hand, I pulled him out," said Jigar Rathod, one of the rescue workers at the spot.
After bringing him back to life, the volunteers hail an auto rickshaw and take Gaurav to Shatabdi Hospital. He is currently admitted in the ICU. His friend, Pratik, is still missing. The fire brigade and police have launched a search operation for him
The fire brigade and police are searching for Pratik, but his family is shrouded in gloom. "He is our sole child. He did not want to leave the house today, but his friends had insisted. Now we don't know where his," said his father, Sunil Ghatal.