PUNE: A 38-year-old man, his wife and three daughters drowned in river Valki at Valen village near Kolvan in Mulshi taluka, about 34km from here, on Sunday afternoon while attempting to save their 10-year-old fourth daughter who had fallen into the waters. Another two daughters of the couple were also present on the river bank.
Police said the man, Shankar Laygude, managed to save the 10-year-old daughter, Jayashree, by pushing her to safety along the river banks, but himself drowned as his wife and three other daughters, who did not know to swim, grabbed him out of fear. All five drowned, police said.
“Laygude drowned along with his wife Pornima (36) and daughters Arpita (20), Ankita (13) and Rajashree (12),” inspector Ashok Dhumal of the Paud police told TOI. “Laygude, who worked with a poultry farm, had three daughters from his first marriage. After the death of his first wife, he married Pornima, who also had three daughters from her first marriage,” said Dhumal.
“On Sunday morning the entire family had gone to the river to wash clothes. Laygude was working at a nearby farm. Jayashree was standing at the river bank when she accidentally fell into the waters. Pornima, who saw this, immediately jumped into the river to save Jayashree but started drowning too.”
“At this point, Arpita, Ankita and Rajashree tried to save Pornima and Jayashree. One of them threw her dupatta into the waters. Laygude reached the river then and jumped in to save his wife and daughter,” Dhumal said.
Pramod Balkawde of Mulshi Disaster Management told TOI that while saving Jayashree, the three sisters too fell into the river and started drowning. “None of them knew to swim. Even as Laygude saved Jayashree, his wife and the other three daughters grabbed him in desperation and all of them drowned in the river,” he said.
Balkawde said local villagers pulled out three bodies and a rescue team that arrived soon pulled out two. “Jayashree is safe and out of danger,” Balkawde said. The police have registered a case of accidental death.