MUMBAI: A seven-year-old boy drowned in a wave pool at a crowded resort in Virar on Sunday afternoon, raising fresh concerns over safety standards at water parks and resorts in the Vasai-Virar region during the peak summer holiday season.
The deceased, identified as Lavit Ramjit Yadav, had visited the Manthan Waterpark and Beach Resort in Navapur, Virar West, with his family when the accident occurred around 3:30PM.
According to the police, the resort was packed with visitors due to the ongoing summer vacations, with hundreds of families thronging the popular destination known for its swimming pools, rain dance attractions and wave pools. Despite the heavy crowd and the presence of lifeguards, the child drowned in the wave pool while playing with other children.
Police said Lavit had arrived at the resort with his grandfather, Ramlal Jaykaran Yadav, a resident of Custom Colony in Bhandup West, Mumbai, along with four grandchildren. Around 3pm, the children entered the resort’s wave pool.
During the activity, Lavit allegedly began drowning in the pool. Resort lifeguards noticed the incident and pulled him out of the water before rushing him to a local hospital in Virar. However, doctors declared him dead before admission.
An accidental death report has been registered at Arnala police station, and investigators are now examining whether there was any lapse in supervision or safety protocols at the resort.
“We are recording the statements of the parents and the resort staff to ascertain the exact cause of death. We are also checking why the lifeguards had not kept an eye on the boy near the pool,” an officer from Arnala police station said.
Police officials noted that several resorts and water parks have mushroomed along the Vasai-Virar coastal belt in recent years, drawing large crowds during school vacations and weekends. However, drowning incidents at such facilities have repeatedly sparked concerns about overcrowding, emergency response preparedness and the adequacy of lifeguard deployment.
The latest accident comes barely two months after another fatal incident at a resort in the region. On March 20 this year, 15-year-old Aryan Kanokia sustained injuries while playing at a resort and later died during treatment.
