Two youths from Murbad drown in a waterfall at Khopivali

Pune: Despite the restriction on tourist and local places due to the COVID-19 outbreak, six youths from Thane district visited a nearby waterfall and two of their friends ended up drowning in it.

Continued heavy rains in Maharashtra, especially in the Thane district of Ambele Gadge area have been grabbing the attention of tourists who visit for the natural waterfalls in the area. And for this year's monsoon, a lot less movement was been witnessed due to the pandemic, and fewer tourists have been noticed visiting these spots. However, a few notorious citizens still manage to step out of their house to enjoy nature to put statuses and selfies on social media sites.

The police have identified the two missing youth as Umesh Botkundle (25) and Kartik alias Babalya Gadge (25).

The incident took place on Friday, where the six youths from Ambele Gadge in Murbad taluka of Thane district had gone to the waterfall near the Dehri Khopivali for a hike and swim.

According to the police, "Due to the increase in rainfall over the last two days, a large amount of water is flowing from the mountains. However, two youths who went for a swim at a waterfall known as Chandi Dhar behind Khopivali village lost their balance and fell into deep water and we fear dying. A team is investigating and trying to locate them."