Over Twenty Rescued After Tourist Boat Capsizes off Calangute beach

Incident report

Panaji, December 2024: More than twenty passengers were rescued off Calangute beach by Drishti Marine lifesavers when a tourist boat capsized in the waters on Christmas Day. The passengers ranged between the ages of six and sixty-five years of age. 

A family of 13 from Khed, Maharashtra were among the passengers onboard when the boat capsized. 

The rescue was undertaken after a local tourist boat that was overloaded with more than 20 passengers, capsized almost 60 metres away from the coastline resulting in all the passengers being tossed into the rough sea. 

On spotting the capsizing incident, an alert Drishti Marine lifesaver rushed to aid and called for backup. 

In all eighteen on-duty Drishti Marine lifesavers rushed to the aid of the struggling passengers and brought them to shore safely. 

Many who suffered injuries were administered first aid while passengers with critical injuries were rushed to a waiting ambulance and rushed to the medical centre. 

Of the 20 passengers, two children aged 6 and 7 and two females aged 25 and 55 were revived and have been hospitalized for further treatment.

Two passengers on the boat were not wearing life jackets, further complicating the rescue. 

In the unfortunate incident a male aged 54 lost his life while at the hospital undergoing medical treatment. 

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Five Russian Women Rescued From Drowning in One Day off Candolim, Benaulim Beaches

INCIDENT REPORT

~ Five Russian women tourists were rescued from drowning by Drishti Marine lifesavers on Tuesday on two different beaches in North and South Goa.

Panaji, December, 2024: Five Russian women were rescued from drowning late on Tuesday in two separate incidents in both the districts of the state. 

Drishti Marine lifesavers conducted one triple rescue operation and a double rescue on the beaches of Candolim and Benaulim respectively, saving the lives of the foreign tourists visiting the coastal state, where foreign tourist footfalls peak around December. 

Candolim: Three Russian females between the ages of 30 and 40 years, found themselves stuck in a rip current, while they were swimming together. Lifesaver Kartik Naik noticed them in distress and rushed to their aid. The three Russians were brought back to safety with the help of a rescue board.

Benaulim: Two Russian women, a 51-year-old and 52-year-old, were rescued by Drishti Marine lifesavers Swapnil Farade, Samit and Dasharath Sangodkar after they were caught and dragged further into the sea by a rip current off the beach. The first victim was secured with a rescue tube by Farade and the second was rescued with the help of a jetski by lifesavers Dasharath Sangodkar and Samit.

Drishti Marine urges beachgoers to exercise caution, be responsible while enjoying the water this tourist season and follow instructions from lifesavers posted on the beaches to ensure public safety. 

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Lifesaver Administers First Aid to Senior Citizen Bitten by Stray Dogs at Benaulim Beach

INCIDENT REPORT

~ Six missing children were united with their parents over the weekend, that also witnessed one double rescue and multiple single rescues 

Panaji, December 2024 -- A 60-year-old man from Karnataka was bitten by three stray dogs at south Goa's Benaulim beach on Sunday, even as six missing children were united with their parents over the last weekend, that also witnessed one double rescue and multiple single rescues conducted by Drishti Marine lifesavers along the state's coastline. 

Benaulim beach: After three stray dogs attacked the Karnataka native who was stepping into a shack at the Benaulim beach, the injured person was administered first aid to his right leg, which was bitten by the canines. He was later handed over to medical personnel from the 108 emergency services for further treatment. 

Betalbatim beach: A 21-year-old man from Rajasthan, who had waded around 70 metres into the sea with the help of a bodyboard -- a shorter version of a surfboard -- and was unable to find his way back to the shore, forcing lifesaver Sarvesh Gaonkar to step in and rush to the aid of the struggling person with the help of a rescue tube. At the same beach, a Russian man, who was assisting watersports operators with relocating a jetski, got a cut to his left leg in the process. He was administered first aid on the spot, before the watersports operator took him to a local hospital for further treatment. 

Baga beach: Two Russian tourists, a man and a woman, both in their thirties, were rescued by lifesavers after they got caught in a rip current off Baga beach. The beach also witnessed the rescue of a 33-year-old man from Ahmednagar. The person had waded into the water with a friend, but was unable to exit the water after he was caught in a rip tide. Drishti Marine lifesavers Ankur and Sandesh Paryekar rushed to his rescue with a rescue board and a jetski, respectively and brought him ashore. 

Calangute beach: The popular North Goa beach witnessed the rescue of a 32-year-old person from Madhya Pradesh, who was saved from drowning by lifesaver Rohit Hirnayak. The lifesaver conducted the mission with the help of a rescue board. An eight-year-old from Hubli, in Karnataka, was also reunited with parents by Drishti Marine lifesavers after the latter reported the child missing on the adjoining Candolim beach. The child had accidentally strayed onto the adjoining Calangute beach, after separating from parents. 

Candolim Beach: Two children, aged five and 11 years, from Chhattisgarh, were reunited with their parents at Candolim beach, after they went missing. The children, who had accidentally separated from their parents, were found wandering on the beach by themselves by lifesaver Sunil Matondkar. The two children were handed over to the parents after completing formal identification formalities. 

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Kolkata, Goa beachgoers narrowly escape drowning after Disregarding Lifesavers’ Cautions; Both Rescued

Panaji, November 2024:  A 31-year-old woman from Kolkata and a 20-year-old Goan beachgoer narrowly escaped drowning off Agonda and Velsao beaches, respectively, after disregarding warnings from Drishti Marine lifesavers about the dangers of swimming in rip current-infested waters. Both were rescued by alert lifesavers over the weekend, which also saw one triple rescue, two multiple rescues, two single rescues and one person being administered with first-aid along Goa’s coastline.

Agonda: A group of four tourists from Kolkata, seated near a demarcated no-swim zone, was warned by Drishti Marine lifesavers not to enter the water. Ignoring the warnings, three ventured in and were swept away by rip currents. A 31-year-old woman, who began to drown, was rescued by lifesaver Ratnakar Velip using a rescue tube, while her two companions managed to return to shore unaided.

Velsao: A 20-year-old man from Vasco ignored lifesavers’ warnings and entered a no-swim zone, where he was caught in a rip current. Lifesaver Kashappa Madar swiftly rescued him using a rescue tube.

Baga: Four British tourists got caught in a rip current and were swept 50 metres away from the shore while swimming. Lifesaver Saurav Kumar plunged into the water and managed to get ahold of the two of them. But with the current too strong to navigate a surfboard, lifesaver Sandesh Paryekar too joined the rescue operation with a jetski and extracted the duo.  Another lifesaver, Fondu Gawas, used a rescue tube to rescue one more British national from the group, while the fourth managed to swim to the shore by himself.

Calangute: A group of six visitors from Bengaluru was swept 35 metres offshore while swimming. Lifesavers Kartik Naik saved three individuals using a rescue tube, Umesh Madikar saved two victims with a jet ski and Nakul Usapkar managed to save one using a rescue tube. 

Calangute: Drishti Marine lifesavers also managed to orchestrate a triple rescue of three Pune residents. Lifesaver Rohit Hiranayak brought two victims to shore using a rescue board while lifesaver Rahul pulled the third person to the safety of the shore. 

Colva: Patrolling Drishti Marine lifesavers found an unidentified male, aged between 25 and 30 years, suffering from respiratory issues about a hundred metres beyond the shoreline. After clearing his airway and setting an umbrella up to provide him with shade, the lifesavers informed the police and emergency health services and handed him over to medical personnel who arrived on the spot with an ambulance.

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