Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka tourists, among 11 rescued over extended weekend

~ Rescues were carried out off Arambol, Baga, Calangute and Mandrem beaches.

~Three missing minors reunited with their parents at Baga and Calangute beaches

Panaji, November 23 -  Goa’s beaches witnessed 11 rescue operations conducted over the extended weekend, which included Guru Nanak Jayanti, which was celebrated across the country on Monday (November 27). 

Four men in their mid-20s, all of whom are residents of Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh were rescued off Arambol beach by Drishti Marine lifesavers Amit Kolmbkar and Umesh Phadte with the help of a rescue board and jet ski. The same beach also witnessed two separate rescues involving two men, including a resident of Hyderabad (25) and a resident of Rajasthan (23). Both victims were caught in a rip current while swimming, when Drishti Marine lifesavers Pritesh Kubal, Chetan Bandekar and Navnath Ghatwal rushed to save them with a rescue board, rescue tube and a jet ski. 

At Baga beach, five men aged between 22-26 years from Karnataka and Pune were saved in a rescue operation by lifesavers Fondu Gawas, Umesh Madaiker, Divakar Dessai, Sainath Gawas and Mantha Kinalkar. One of the five persons in the group had started to drown, which led his four friends to attempt to rescue him. But the would-be-rescuers themselves were caught in a rough current, forcing the Drishti Marine lifesavers to intervene and bring all five persons safely back to shore. First-aid was administered to the rescued men in order to stabilise them. 

Two single rescues took place off Calangute and Mandrem beaches respectively. At Mandrem beach, a 36-year-old Russian woman and a 21-year-old man from Bengaluru at Calangute beach, found themselves struggling in a rip current. Drishti Marine lifesavers Rohit Hirnayak and Darpan Revanka rescued the victims using rescue boards. 

Two missing children, a four-year-old girl from Madhya Pradesh and one child from Mumbai were located by Drishti Marine lifesavers at Calangute and Baga beaches. Drishti Marine lifesavers were also quick to reunite a missing child with his parents at Baga beach.

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Three International travellers among six rescued off Goa’s beaches over the weekend

~ Rescue incidents in Mandrem, Baga, Bambolim and Galgibag

~ Two missing minors reunited with their parents at Colva and Baga 

Panaji, November 2023- Mandrem beach witnessed three rescues over the weekend all involving foreign tourists - two ladies, one from Russia and the other from England and a male from Belarus. Goa saw three other rescues over the weekend, one each in Baga, Bambolim and Galgibag. Meanwhile two children were reunited with their parents.  

A Russian woman aged 24 years was engulfed in a rough wave requiring the immediate assistance of Drishti Marine lifesavers Karan Tandel and Hiren Keluskar who secured the victim with a rescue board and brought her to shore on a jet ski. The other rescue involved a 35-year old English woman who was caught in a similar situation. The Drishti Marine lifesaver Vitorino Desouza launched a jetski and rushed to the aid of the lady and brought her ashore. A 33-year old man from Belarus was rescued by a Drishti Marine lifesaver Jatin Girap with the help of a surfboard when a rough rip current deluged him at Mandrem.

Two single rescues took place separately at Galgibaga beach and Baga beach, where at Galgibaga beach, a woman aged 28 years from Bengaluru was retrieved by Drishti Marine lifesaver Sudhir Ankolekar with a rescue tube after a change in water level caused her to panic, while a 25-year old man from Pune, was found struggling to escape the rip current in Baga beach when the lifesavers Sushant Kamble and Laxman Usapkar immediately rushed to rescue the man.

At Bambolim beach, a 69-year old man was rescued by Drishti Marine lifesavers after he was engulfed by huge waves resulting in a spinal injury. The victim was rescued in an unconscious state but regained consciousness soon after and was administered CPR.  After recovering, the victim was taken to a nearby healthcare institute by the jeep stationed on the beach. 

Two missing children, a five year old girl from Rajasthan and a seven year old child from Goa were located by Drishti Marine lifesavers at Baga and Colva beaches who handed them over to their parents.

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Two Kazakhstan nationals among 17 rescued from drowning over long Diwali weekend

Panaji, November 2023: Two Kazakhstan nationals were among 17 persons rescued along the state’s coastline over the long Diwali weekend. 

The double rescue was conducted at Arambol beach, when the two Kazakhs aged 31 and 36 years who were caught in a rip current while swimming, were unable to make it to shore. The duo was rescued by Drishti Marine lifesavers Priyansh Gwas and Suhas Gawas with the help of a rescue tube and surfboard.

Another double rescue was conducted at the same beach involving two young men from Pune, who were saved from drowning by on-duty lifesavers. Two other persons were also rescued in separate incidents off Arambol beach. One incident involved a 26-year-old from Delhi and the other involved a 25-year-old from Bengaluru. 

Calangute Beach witnessed a triple rescue operation involving three women from Uttar Pradesh, between the ages of 21 to 24 years. Drishti Marine lifesavers Nakul Usapkar, Shubham Keluskar and Kartik Naik immediately rushed to their aid, after watching them struggling to swim and in danger of being swept into the deeper sections of the water. The three women were brought to shore and first-aid was administered. 

A 29-year-old male from Punjab was rescued at Calangute when he was caught off-guard by a rough wave, forcing Drishti Marine lifesaver Ashwin Ghag to rush to his rescue with a surfboard. Another 25-year-old man from Ahmedabad was also rescued at the same beach. 

At Mandrem, a couple aged 26 and 27-years-old were overcome by fatigue while trying to swim back to shore. With the assistance of a jetski and a rescue tube, lifesavers Priyansh Kubal and Manoj Parab, safely returned the couple to shore.

At Agonda, a 47-year-old man from Bengaluru who went fishing on his kayak, found himself stuck in a rocky area, unable to paddle back to shore. Local fishermen in the area alerted Drishti Marine lifesavers on duty, who swiftly launched a jetski to assist the man. 

Additionally, there were three single rescues conducted at Cavelossim, Morjim and Sinquerim beaches.

Two girls, aged five and nine years of age, who were reported missing at Calangute beach were traced by Drishti Marine lifesavers and re-united with their guardians. 

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Injured, jellyfish-stung National Games’ athletes provided first aid by Drishti Marine lifesavers

Panaji, November 2023: A 16-year-old triathlete from Manipur, who suffered a right-leg fracture, along with two other National Games participants who were stung by jellyfish, were on Tuesday administered first-aid by Drishti Marine lifesavers who are deployed for the safety of athletes participating in the country’s biggest sports event. 

The Manipur triathlete, who was participating in the running leg of a mixed relay event, sustained a right-leg Tibia fracture that saw his campaign end prematurely. The incident occurred at Miramar beach, where Drishti Marine lifesavers Pooja Bude, Punu Velip, Hitesh Gaude and volunteers Ramesh Gantali and Ujjawal Prasad were deployed for the safety of the athletes. The lifesavers and volunteers rushed to the aid of the injured athlete, helping him onto a spine board before rushing him to a Drishti Marine jeep stationed at the beach. The athlete was subsequently handed over to emergency services at Miramar circle for additional care, before he was taken to the Goa Medical College for further treatment. 

Drishti Marine lifesavers also administered first-aid to two athletes at Miramar beach who were stung by jellyfish. They treated their wounds with the help of vinegar, which is stored at every lifesaving tower for emergency situations involving jellyfish stings. 

16 Drishti Marine lifesavers have been deployed for the National Games along with two beach safety dogs from the Drishti Marine’s ‘Paw Patrol’ and two AI-powered robots, Aurus and Triton, which work in tandem to ensure beach safety and crowd control for the National Games.

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Two Russian children among 19 rescued off Goa’s beaches over the weekend

Panaji, October 2023: Two Russian children were among 19 persons rescued from drowning off Goa's beaches over the weekend.

The two Russian children aged 11 and seven years, were rescued off Arambol beach, after they lost their footing in the water and were rescued by lifesavers Navnath Ghatwal and Umesh Phadte with the help of a surfboard and a rescue tube.

In another incident on the same beach, a 26-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman from Rajasthan and Telangana respectively, waded into the sea despite being warned about strong currents by on-duty lifesavers Manoj Parab and Umesh Phadte, who later rescued them using a surfboard and a jetski.

At Baga Beach, an 8-year-old boy from Hyderabad, who was caught in a rip current was rescued by lifesaver Rohan Ghadi with a rescue tube. The youngster was brought safely to a nearby lifesaver tower and a search for his parents was initiated. The child was reunited with his parents in less than half an hour.

Baga beach also witnessed two other separate single rescue incidents involving a 32-year-old man from Karnataka and a 45-year-old woman from Russia. The man found himself caught in a rip current and had to be rescued by lifesaver Sachin Kinalkar with a rescue tube, while the Russian woman, who was also caught in a rip current was rescued by lifesavers Bhima Beli and Fondu Gawas using rescue gear.

At Baga, a 14-year-old girl from Bengaluru who had an ankle twist while playing in the water was administered first-aid.

At Anjuna beach, a 32-year-old man from Mumbai who found himself struggling in a rip current was rescued by lifesavers Shant Parab and Manish Narvekar, while in another incident at Ashwem beach, a 38-year-old woman from Delhi who was stranded in deeper sections of the sea was rescued by lifesaver Rajesh Dhuri with a surfboard and rescue tube.

Two double rescues were reported at Calangute beach, involving two women aged 32 and 33 years, both from Maharashtra and two men from Karnataka, aged 28 and 31 years. They were all stranded on a sandbar before being engulfed by water. Lifesavers Shubham Keluskar, Basan Beli and Sachin Kirloskar were involved in the two double rescue operations.

A 19-year-old man from Karnataka was saved by lifesaver Kartik Naik using a surfboard, after he ignored instructions from Drishti Marine lifesavers to swim in designated zones and later struggled in deeper sections of the sea.  

In separate incidents at the same beach, four middle-aged men who were caught in a rip current were rescued by lifesaver Hrutuj Rawool.

A 12-year-old boy from Bengaluru was also saved off Calangute beach after he was caught in a rip tide and was escorted to safety by lifesaver Hrutuj Rawool. A five-year-old child from Bengaluru was also traced at Calangute beach and reunited with parents.

Drishti Marine lifesavers including Harsha Naik, Ankush Asolkar and Hrutuj Rawool aided in the nabbing of a thief who had stolen a tourist's bag. The lifesavers alerted personnel of a watersports operation nearby, who caught the culprit before he was handed over to the police.

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Woman, infant saved at Dudhsagar waterfall, among 27 rescued in Goa over extended Dussehra weekend

Panaji, October 2023: Drishti Marine’s lifesavers had their hands full with twenty-seven rescue operations conducted across the state’s coastline over the extended Dussehra weekend, rescuing a woman and child from drowning at Dudhsagar waterfalls, apart from rescuing a Russian woman off Mandrem beach and a kayaker from drowning at Palolem. 

At Dudhsagar waterfalls, a mother and her 11-month-old daughter from Kolkata were rescued after the former slipped on the rocks near the waterbody, sending them both plunging into the water. While the woman managed to find a way out of the water, lifesaver Babu Gavli saved the infant, who was struggling in the water, with the help of a rescue board. 

A 55-year-old Russian woman was rescued off Mandrem beach after a rough current pulled her in the deeper sections of the sea. Drishti Marine lifesaver Sakharam Bandekar was able to save the victim with the help of a surfboard and bring her back to shore. Two 29-year-old Goan men were rescued off Mandrem, after they were engulfed by a rough wave. Lifesavers Nagesh Barge and Nutan Mote rushed into the water and with the help of a rescue tube and jetski brought the struggling duo back to shore. In a separate incident, a man from Siolim, aged 28 years, was rescued off Mandrem beach.

At Palolem, a 43-year-old male hailing from Karnataka had a kayaking mishap which led to his kayak overturning. Drishti Marine lifesaver Nilesh Velip was quick to respond to his distress and brought him safely to shore. 

There were eleven rescues conducted at Calangute beach, which included four double rescues, out of which six individuals were residents of Karnataka. Due to the rough sea conditions the individuals were pulled into the deep sea and were unable to swim back to shore. Drishti Marine lifesavers Leslie Rodrigues, Sajan Nagvekar, Suhash Patil, Nakul Usapkar and Ajay Kamble rushed into the sea ensuring the safety of all the individuals. 

One of the double rescues at Calangute beach involved two local males, aged 42 and 52 years, who found themselves struggling in the water while performing Durga visarjan. Lifesavers on duty managed to successfully rescue both of them. 

Calangute also reported three single rescues involving a 17-year-old, a 19-year-old  and a 20-year-old male hailing from Karnataka. 

A 29-year-old woman from Bengaluru was swimming with her family when she got pulled in the water near the Arambol sweet lake and began to drown. Lifesavers Sandeep Mhapankar and Chetan Bandekar rushed into water using a surfboard and rescue tube and brought the victim to shore. At the same beach, a 25-year-old man from Maharashtra was stuck in a rip current and was unable to get back to shore. Lifesaver Nitesh Gadekar and Sandeep Mhapankar rushed into water using a surfboard and rescue tube and brought the victim to safety.

At Baga beach, in three separate incidents, a 31-year-old male from Karnataka, a 33-year-old male from Andhra Pradesh and a 36-year-old male from Russia, who were pulled into the deep sea and were rescued by Drishti Marine lifesavers with the help of a rescue tube, surfboard and jetski. At Majorda, Agonda beaches, a 49-year-old from Hyderabad and a 29-year-old woman from Haryana were rescued. Two local lads from Seraulim, aged 15 and 16 years, who were stranded in the sea were saved from drowning with the help of a rescue tube by lifesavers Shyam Das and Yallesh Bagdi at the same beach.

Drishti Marine lifesavers provided first-aid t0 two individuals, one hailing from Bengaluru at Candolim beach and the other, a Russian citizen, at Keri Beach. A tree had collapsed on the latter’s bike and injured his leg. A Drishti Marine lifesaver immediately administered first-aid to the foreign national. 

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6 Russians among 12 rescued over the weekend

Panaji, Oct 2023 - Six Russian nationals, two each at Calangute, Mandrem and Arambol beaches, were rescued by Drishti Marine lifesavers over the busy weekend, which saw 12 persons rescued from drowning off the coastline. 

At Calangute beach, two Russians, including a minor and a 36-year-old woman were rescued after a sudden wave engulfed them, necessitating their rescue. At Mandrem, two other Russians, aged 38 and 34 years were rescued from drowning in two separate incidents by Drishti Marine lifesaver Sakharam Bandekar who used a rescue tube and a surfboard to save them. 

Mandrem beach witnessed a double rescue involving a couple from Chandigarh, both aged 32 years. After ignoring the lifesavers' warnings against entering the sea due to the rough currents, the couple struggled to fight against a rip current. Drishti Marine lifesavers, Avinash Maiskar and Tanaji Bhagat rushed into water using a surfboard and a rescue tube and brought both persons back to shore safely.

A 44-year-old resident from Karnataka was saved by lifesavers Nilesh Dhuri Chopdekar and Hari Chopdekar,  when a rough rip current engulfed him off Calangute beach. Over the weekend, a 13-year-old boy from Karnataka, who was reported missing, was located at Calangute Beach. He was handed over to his father by Drishti Marine lifesavers, who had conducted a search of the area within fifteen minutes after the boy was announced missing. 

A Delhi resident, aged 23 years, along with two other friends were swimming off Arambol beach, when they were suddenly engulfed by a rough wave. Drishti Marine lifesaver Umesh Phadte, rushed into water using a surfboard and brought the victim to shore. At the same beach, a 38-year-old man from Maharashtra suddenly got pulled into a rip current, forcing lifesaver Ano Malekar to rush with a jetski and rescue him. Another Russian couple, both aged 54 years, were pulled into the deep sea due to rough undercurrents at Arambol beach. Drishti Marine lifesaver, Chetan Bandekar rushed into water using a surfboard and brought both the individuals back to shore.

Patnem beach also witnessed the rescue of a 38-year-old man, who was struggling to escape the rip current. Drishti Marine lifesavers, Sachin Kirloskar, Vinesh Mugdekar and Vithoba Velip rescued the man with the help of a rescue tube and surfboard.

At Bambolim beach, Drishti Marine lifesavers assisted in the arrest of a thief, who had stolen articles belonging to two foreigners, one of whom was swimming. A thief grabbed their belongings and tried to make a run for it. Upon noticing their desperate hails, on-duty Drishti Marine lifesavers, along with the help of locals, caught the thief and handed him over to police personnel.

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17 persons, including Kazakh father-son kayakers rescued off Goa over the weekend

Panaji, Oct 2023: Seventeen persons were rescued from drowning by Drishti Marine lifesavers over the weekend, including a father-son from Kazakhstan, who were saved due to quick thinking by another kayaker and an on-duty lifesaver at Arambol beach. 

The Kazakhs were kayaking when they encountered a large wave, which put the lives of the 38-year-old father and his 12-year-old son in peril. A nearby kayaker rushed to their rescue, so did a lifesaver who eventually brought the duo back to the shore safely with the help of a jetski. 

Two persons from Pune, Nitesh Gadekar (31) and Rajesh Talkar (32) who were drowning in the sweet water lake at Arambol were rescued by an on-duty lifesaver. In another incident reported at Arambol beach, a 21-year-old person from Delhi was rescued by Dattaram Bandekar, a beach safety patrol officer, with the help of a surfboard. 

Calangute Beach also reported two double rescue operations. One operation involved two men from Karnataka, aged 20 and 27 years, who lost their balance and slipped into the deep end of the sea, forcing Drishti Marine lifesavers to quickly respond and bring them back to shore safely. Additionally, two 21-year-old residents of Jammu and Kashmir were secured and safely returned to the shore after they found themselves unable to swim back to the beach. The lifesavers involved in these twin rescue operations were Sonu Kumar, Rohit Hirnaik, Nilesh Dhuri, Prathamesh Damnekar, Santosh Takekar, Ashwin Ghag and Pandurang Halankar.

Drishti Marine lifesaver Hari Chopdekar was involved in two other rescues at Calangute beach on separate occasions over the weekend, one of which involved the rescue of a 27-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh and another involving a 26-year-old man from Rajasthan. Both men had waded into the deep sea and were unable to swim back to shore. Chopdekar used a rescue tube and surfboard to secure them.

At Morjim beach, two men from Rajasthan, aged 22 and 24 years, were caught in a rip current and were rescued by lifesavers Anand Parab, Raghavendra Kaskar and Amon Salgaonkar, while at Candolim Beach, a couple from Bangalore in their early thirties was rescued with the help of a rescue tube and surfboard. Additionally, while a 31-year-old man from Rajasthan was rescued at Baga Beach and at Anjuna, a Drishti Marine lifesaver on duty conducted a rescue operation for a 24-year-old man from Bangalore.

Two children, an eight-year-old from Rajasthan at Calangute beach and a four-year-old from Punjab at Baga Beach, who were reported missing were located by the Drishti Marine lifesavers on duty.

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Six Karnataka residents rescued from drowning off Varca Beach

Panaji, Oct 23– Six holidayers from Bengaluru, including four men and two women, were rescued from drowning off Varca beach on Friday, after they lost their composure after being hit by a wave.

The rescued persons were part of a group of seven tourists who had visited Varca beach. After they opted to venture into the sea, six of them were knocked down by a large wave, which triggered panic in the group.

Drishti Marine lifesavers, Sandesh Velip, Gajanand Velip, Chandresh Velip and Sandesh Gaonkar witnessed the commotion in the waters and rushed to their rescue with surfboards, rescue tubes and jetskis. Upon reaching the struggling individuals, the lifesavers noticed that one of the persons they rescued was unconscious and showed no vital signs.

The six persons were brought back to shore and CPR was immediately administered to the unconscious individual. Before the emergency responders could arrive, the individual regained consciousness due to continuous efforts by the lifesavers to revive the individual, who is now in a stable condition after receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.

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AI bots, trained dogs, lifesavers to ensure safety of triathletes at IRONMAN 70.3 India at Miramar beach, Goa

Panaji, October 2023 – AI-powered robots, specially trained rescue dogs and more than fifty lifesavers will keep vigil over triathletes participating in the IRONMAN 70.3 India, when they dive into the Arabian sea off Miramar beach in Goa as part of the first leg of the endurance race on October 8 (Sunday). 

The three-tier safety back up for the opening leg of India’s biggest endurance race with participants from 30 countries across the globe, has been provided by Drishti Marine, a state government appointed lifesaving agency, which is tasked with preventing drowning and tackling other emergencies along the state’s coastline. 

According to Navin Awasthi, chief executive officer of Drishti Marine, a 55-strong lifesaving force will be deployed for safety of the participants in the IRONMAN 70.3 India race, along with five jetskis, surfboards, two jeeps and two boats which will be on standby for emergencies. Two canines from the lifesaving agency’s ‘Paw Squad’, who are highly trained in beach safety will also be posted at Miramar when the first leg of the race begins, with a 1.9 km swim in the waters off the beach. 

Drishti Marine will also deploy its state-of-the-art technology, AURUS and TRITON for the safety of the athletes. AURUS is a self-driving robot developed by Drishti Marine, while TRITON's onboard AI monitors non-swim zones, identifies threats and assists lifesavers in preventing mishaps. Together, AURUS and TRITON provide comprehensive beach safety coverage. 

“We are proud to provide the necessary safety support for the third time running to the prestigious triathlon which brings in participants from all over India and the world. Our lifesavers are well equipped to handle any emergency situations. In addition, we will be deploying our AI bots, AURUS and TRITON for the first time. Two trained dogs from our Paw Squad will also be posted at Miramar beach for comprehensive support,” Awasthi said. 

Canines in the Paw Squad are outfitted with a harness and rescue tube and the dogs are trained to spot a victim in distress in the water, swim to the victim, enable him/her to grab the rescue tube and swim back to shore with the victim in tow. The canines are undergoing 26 months of rigorous training at a state-of-the-art dog training facility set up by Drishti Marine at its Lifesaver Training Centre in Sinquerim.

IRONMAN 70.3 INDIA is a triathlon endurance event with the 70.3 referring to the total distance in miles which is 113 km covered in the race, consisting of 1.9 km (1.2 mile) swim, a 90 km (56-mile) cycling ride, and a 21.1 km (13.1-mile) run. The race has attracted 50 plus countries over the 3 editions.

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