The bodies of two fishermen who drowned while fishing at Mukne dam in Nashik district were recovered around 11.30am on Saturday, after a 48-hour search involving the National Disaster Response Force, police and local villagers.
Wadivarhe police identified the deceased as Anil Bhadade, 49, and Tukaram Yele, 47, residents of Sonjegaon in Igatpuri taluka. The two men drowned on Thursday afternoon while fishing at the dam. Police registered a case of accidental death.
According to Wadivarhe police inspector Anil Mahajan, Bhadade and Yele left their homes to go fishing at around 12.30pm on Thursday. When they did not return, their families went to Mukne dam, located about a kilometre from Sonjegaon, and found the men’s shoes on the bank.
The families alerted villagers and other local residents, following which the police began a search operation. A National Disaster Response Force team from Niphad was called in to assist. The search continued until Thursday night and resumed on Friday, but the depth of the water made the operation difficult.
The bodies were eventually located on Saturday, around 50 metres from the place where the men were believed to have drowned. Inspector Mahajan said the water was extremely deep at the spot, which prolonged the search and delayed the recovery operation.
The incident occurred during the Diwali festival and left Sonjegaon grieving. The deaths have also brought renewed attention to safety concerns at Mukne dam, where police said several people have died in the past. The supplied report did not specify the number of earlier fatalities or whether permanent safety measures are currently in place at the site.
Senior revenue department officials visited the dam area during the search operation. Igatpuri MLA Hiraman Khoskar also visited the accident spot, which falls within his constituency, and communicated with senior district administration officials about sending additional rescue teams to locate the missing fishermen.
The recovery operation highlights the operational difficulties faced by responders during incidents in deep-water reservoirs. In this case, the search required coordination between the police, the NDRF, villagers, revenue officials and district authorities. The police investigation has recorded the deaths as accidental, while the next official steps will concern the handover of the bodies and completion of the related procedures.
