Rescuer drowns with girl in Bhadgaon of Jalgaon district in Girna river

Nashik: A 27-year-old man from Bhadgaon in Jalgaon district and a 16-year-old girl drowned in the Girna river on Sunday afternoon during a rescue attempt after village children playing in the water strayed into deeper currents and began struggling to stay afloat. The two bodies were brought out from the river around 4pm on Sunday.Inspector Mahesh Sharma of the Bhadgaon police station said the tragedy struck when a group of children from Bhadgaon village were playing in the river to beat the summer heat. Some of them ventured too deep and began struggling in the water, prompting people on the banks to raise an alarm, the officer said.Nadeem Pathan, who was in the vicinity, saw the children being pulled by the current and immediately jumped in to help. "He managed to save two 12‑year‑olds and brought them safely to the shore. However, another girl, identified as 16‑year‑old Fatiha Sharif Pinjari, was being swept away. Exhausted from the earlier rescue, Nadeem reached her but had little strength left. The girl, panicking, clung to him, causing both to drown," the inspector said.The police and fire brigade were called in, and it took nearly four hours to trace the victims. Their bodies were recovered from the river around 4pm.Sharma said Pathan took up temporary jobs to earn a livelihood. "With rising temperatures, many children frequent the river," he added. The Bhadgaon police have registered a case of accidental death and are conducting further inquiries.