GOA: Yashwant Raikar, from Goa, was believed to have been swept away in the flash floods at Nagaramadi falls, near Karwar , along with five others, on Sunday.The last-minute struggle by the group was filmed by a tourist, and the video went viral. Hours after Raikar's family was certain he had died, the youth emerged alive, with a story to tell."My wife Ashwini was preparing chicken kebabs near the falls. The water level suddenly increased, and I realised the danger. A young boy who was running to escape the flood fell down. I pulled him to safety . But I fell down and was washed away ," Yashwant said. Six people had been swept away in the incident. Five bodies have been found, while the search is on for the sixth person."I thought I'd die but didn't give up. I was washed downstream for 2km, and felt nervous and weak. I caught hold of a tree branch and held on to it. After some time, the water level receded and I came out of the stream and fell unconscious. Some people from a search party arrived there and shifted me to a hospital," Yashwant said. After the water level went up in Nagaramadi falls near Karwar on Sunday, picnickers from Goa climbed on a boulder under the falls to escape the gushing water. Within a few seconds, a person, Yashwant Raikar, was seen washed away .Six others on the boulder fell in the stream and were swept away too."Though I know how to swim, it was difficult in the flowing water. I slammed against boulders and tree branches," said Yashwant. He said his family members and friends told him that almost all news channels in Goa and Karwar had shown him being washed away and declared him dead. "I'm alive," he smiled, adding, "I never thought the picnic would cost us so dearly. It was a nightmare and I'll never forget those moments," he said.Bodies recovered Of the six people who drowned at Nagaramadi falls, five bodies were recovered. The victims are Frenzila Pires, Fiona Pacheco, Marcelina Estibeiro, Siddu Chari, Sameer Gavade and Renuka, whose body has not been found.Yashwant, who survived, was waiting at Karwar for relative Chari's body."Once the formalities are completed, I'll go to Goa," he said. Chari's body was recovered on Monday morning as the district authorities, with the help of local people, went on a search operation.A group comprising members of the General Thimmaiah Adventure Acade my, led by Prakash Harikantra, Jilla Janashakhti Vedike president Madhav Naik and others recovered them in the Seabird area almost 5km from the Nagaramadi falls. Renuka's body may have been washed away into the Arabian sea.Madhav Naik said the assistant commissioner of Karwar, provided them boats and ferried them to Chendia village."We started searching for the bodies from there. Prakash Harikantra and Premanand formed one group and Pawan Harikantra, myself and Chandrakant Harikantra of Adventure Club started searching for the bodies around 6am," he said.Mercelina's body was found near a prawn-growing farm while the bodies of Chari and Gavade were found in the Seabird area. The bodies have been shifted to Goa after the postmortem at Karwar.The authorities are trying to find out how the flash flood occurred. The water passes through two huge boulders at Nagaramadi and results in the falls. It's suspected that a big log may have been stuck between the boulders, blocking a huge quantity of water.

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