Teen dies while parasailing, father critically injured

Mumbai: A 15-year-old boy died while parasailing at Murud-Raigad on Saturday morning even as his father was critically injured, the police said.

The incident took place at the famous Murud beach near Alibaug, where the victims — residents of Pune Kasba Peth — had arrived for a weekend holiday along with their family, said police officer G.D. Lavate.

“While parasailing over the beach at an estimated height of over 80 feet, the strings of the parachute suddenly snapped and they hurtled down,” said Lavate.

While Vedant Pawar (15) died the moment he crashed onto the beach, his father Ganesh Pawar was rushed to a local civic government-run hospital in a critical condition. Lavate said that the parasailing operator Sagar Chaulkar and others have been booked under section 304 of the Indian Penal Code for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, negligence and other charges.

Vedant’s body has been sent for an autopsy to Raigad Civil Hospital, while his father is the intensive care ward of the hospital.

A probe has been initiated into the safety and security measures of various parachute and other adventure sports operators at Murud, Kashid, Alibaug and other popular beaches dotting the Konkan coast which attract hordes of tourists from all over India.

However, superintendent of police (SP) Raigad Anil Paraskar (IPS), told The Asian Age, “The investigation is underway; We think there might have been a technical glitch which must have gone wrong. We have conducted a meeting with the authorities who’ve given permission for parasailing activities. However, from today, the activity has been stopped till August.”

Parasailing is one of the most popular water sports that attract tourists to Alibaug. Collector Vijay Suryawanshi said, “My officers have inspected all beaches today and checked the licenses. Today is the last day of adventure sports. We have given instructions that no water sports will be allowed henceforth till the monsoon is over. Also, no unauthorised adventure sports will be allowed on the beaches.”