Two separate incidents at waterfalls in North Goa have once again highlighted the dangers of venturing into remote tourist spots during the monsoon. While six youths from Sanquelim were rescued after being stranded near Virdi Waterfall on the Goa–Maharashtra border, a 15-year-old boy from Karnataka drowned at Delta Waterfall in Surla, Sattari.

The six youths had travelled to Virdi Waterfall on Sunday afternoon and crossed three rivers to reach the site. Heavy rainfall later caused the river levels to rise rapidly, trapping them deep inside the forest and preventing their return.

Alarmed after the youths failed to return home and could not be contacted, family members alerted the authorities. One of the stranded youths is the son of Sanquelim Municipal Chairperson Siddhi Prabhu. A coordinated rescue operation involving the Goa and Maharashtra Police, Maharashtra Forest Department, Valpoi Fire and Emergency Services, and local residents was launched. After hours of searching through difficult terrain, all six youths were rescued safely and brought back home early Monday morning without injuries.

In a separate incident, the body of Aditya Dilip Kumar Satpati (15), a resident of Government Quarters, Belagavi, Karnataka, was recovered from Delta Waterfall in Surla after he drowned while visiting the spot. The recovery operation was carried out by the Police, Fire and Emergency Services, and the Forest Department.