A Supreme Court advocate from Delhi almost drowned when he ventured near the unmanned grounded vessel MV Wisdom at Juhu beach on Tuesday evening.
On a visit to the city, Rajiv Sharma, 34, arrived at Juhu beach chowpatty along with his brother and friend who are also Supreme Court lawyers practising in the capital.
Seeing a huge crowd gathered to see the ship, Sharma ventured as close as five to six feet from the vessel, when he was pulled in by a huge wave.
“The sand below the vessel has moved creating depth at the spot near the ship, due to heavy currents around the vessel. Sharma, who can’t swim, was pulled into water eight to nine feet deep. He somehow managed to reach for the vessel’s propeller and then stood holding it until help arrived,” said Neville David, president, Juhu Beach Lifeguard Association.
Sharma clung to the propeller of the vessel for around 30 minutes, while his brother and friend alerted others. Lifeguards stationed at the beach swung into action immediately, safely rescuing Sharma within 40 minutes.
Sharma suffered injuries on his chest, hands and legs. The lifeguards gave him first aid, following which he was advised to take medical assistance from a nearby hospital for the injuries he had sustained.
This is the 12th incident at Juhu beach ever since the ship has been grounded near the coast where those venturing near the ship have almost drowned. On Monday, a teenager from Dharavi drowned near the Ruia Park coast at around 3pm and his body was fished out at around 7pm.
Lifeguards have been strictly advising people coming to see the ship not to venture near the vessel as it could be dangerous and could lead to such incidents as there is a very swift current near the vessel and the sand has drifted, creating depth which may lead to drowning.
“Even though the depth near the ship is not much, in situations where people start drowning, they panic and when saltwater enters their bodies, it makes the situation even worse as it leads to severe problems like lung infections, causing death. People should avoid going near the vessel to avoid such untoward incidents,” said another lifeguard who was part of the team that rescued Sharma.
