NT NETWORK
CURCHOREM
Two more dead bodies, including the body of the youngster who ended his life, recovered on Friday from the Zuari river, which witnessed a tragedy when a sidewalk of a Portuguese-era bridge collapsed.
Navy divers recovered at about 2.30 am the body of Ajit Prakash Ekka (26), a native of Jharkhand who resided at Sanvordem, from the Zuari river.
The body of Basyya alias Santosh Wandal (26), who had jumped into the river on Thursday, was also recovered from the river at Mirabag.
The coastal police recovered at about 5 pm the body of Wandal at Mirabag, about two kilometre away from the dilapidated bridge.
Wandal, a resident of Sasnamoddi, Kakoda, had jumped into the river to commit suicide on Thursday. The firefighters’ operation to rescue Wandal led to the tragedy as a large number of people had gathered on the sidewalk of the bridge to watch the rescue operation. The sidewalk collapsed taking down with it all the onlookers.
On Thursday the body of Basavraj Malnwar had been fished out after the tragedy struck Sanvordem.
On Friday morning, Navy divers, Drishti lifeguards, firefighters and coastal police personnel carried out the search operation.
Sorties by a helicopter were conducted in the area to trace dead bodies.
Later at about 2 pm a team of the National Disaster Response Force joined the rescue operation.
Thereafter Navy personnel quit the operation leaving the site.
The bodies have been sent to the Hospicio Hospital, Margao, for conducting postmortem.
Deputy collector, Quepem, Prashant Shirodkar, who was at the site of the tragedy overseeing the search operation, told media persons that two dead bodies, including the body of the youngster who ended his life, were fished out of the river on Friday.
There was least possibility of presence of more bodies in the river, he said adding that the search operation has been called off for the day.
No missing complaint has been lodged by any person at any of the police stations in the surrounding areas, Shirodkar said adding that the entire sidewalk would be dismantled.
A NDRF inspector Mohammad Shakil said that NDRF divers extensively searched the area to see if there were more dead bodies.
There might not be more dead bodies in the river, he said.
“If there is any dead body it will float within the next 24 to 36 hours. The search operation will resume on Saturday morning,” Shakil said.
Deputy collector, Dharbandora, Agnelo Fernandes; the Quepem mamlatdar; PI Pravin Gawas; deputy director of fire services Nitin Raikar and other officers were present at the site.