Kolhapur (Maharashtra)
A 17-year-old boy from Chandgad in Kolhapur district died after he entered a restricted stretch beneath Mandapi waterfall in Bhudargad tehsil and was trapped by powerful currents, forest officials said on Monday.
Forest department staff and local rescuers conducted a night-long search and recovered the youth's body on Monday morning, according to Avinash Taynak, range forest officer, Gargoti. The deceased was identified in reports as Mohammad Yusuf Sheikh.
Officials said Yusuf had visited the popular monsoon site on Sunday with a group of 12 family members. Despite barricades and warnings from guards stationed at the falls, he and two relatives crossed safety barriers and moved into a prohibited area beneath the cascade.
- Location: Mandapi waterfall, Savatkada region, Bhudargad tehsil
- Victim: Mohammad Yusuf Sheikh, 17, resident of Chandgad tehsil
- Timeline: Family visited on Sunday; body recovered Monday morning after night search
“The family had visited six waterfalls before reaching the Mandapi waterfall. Yusuf Sheikh, his father and another brother jumped over the railing and went under the waterfall despite warnings by the guards,” Taynak said, as cited in an official account of the incident.
“We are told that they were insistent on going to the dangerous spot,” said Avinash Taynak, range forest officer, Gargoti.
Relatives said Yusuf initially tried to assist his father, who was struggling in the water and could not swim. Rescue personnel said the teenager was then overwhelmed by the force of the water and trapped beneath the falls. Rescuer Dinkar Kamble described the condition in which the body was found: the head lodged between rocks and the legs pointing upward; the body was water-filled.
Mandapi is one of a group of seven waterfalls in the Savatkada area that attract large numbers of visitors during the monsoon. Forest officials said repeated incidents of tourists attempting to cross barricades to get closer to cascades present serious risks because of strong currents and submerged rocky terrain.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Region | Savatkada (seven waterfalls), Bhudargad tehsil |
| Safety measures | Barricades and guards at waterfalls (according to forest officials) |
| Previous similar report | A drowning last year while photographing at Toraskarwadi waterfall (rescuer account) |
Local response and implications
Forest department sources said guards had repeatedly warned visitors not to cross the railings. The incident underscores persistent safety challenges at monsoon tourist spots in Kolhapur's hilly areas, where sudden currents and hidden rocks can turn shallow-looking pools lethal.
Rescue personnel and forest staff routinely carry out search-and-recovery operations in the region during the rains. Dinkar Kamble, a local rescuer, noted that he had recovered a body at Toraskarwadi, another falls in the area, in the previous year. Such recurring incidents have prompted appeals from officials to follow posted warnings and barricades.
- Forest guards and local authorities maintain barricades and issue warnings at these spots, officials said.
- Visitors are advised to avoid entering restricted zones and to exercise caution near swollen cascades.
The Kolhapur district administration and forest department did not provide additional immediate details on whether any legal action will follow for breaching safety barriers. The recovery of Yusuf's body concluded a search continued through the night, according to the forest department account.
The tragedy adds to concerns about visitor safety at monsoon destinations across the district, particularly in areas where footpaths, viewing points and barricades are routinely ignored by visitors seeking closer views or photographs.
Local officials urged families and tourists to follow instructions from guards and avoid entering prohibited stretches beneath waterfalls.
