NAVI MUMBAI: Three employees of a Pune-based software company drowned in the Devkund waterfalls in Mangaon taluka, Raigad, on Sunday.The trio were part of a group of five who had gone on a picnic to the waterfall. All five had gone into the waters for a swim, when the three got caught in the swirling waters of the falls and drowned. Two of them drowned while attempting to save each other.The Mangaon police said the drowned trio were Sandeep Singh , 22, ( Uttarakhand ), Vishwajeet Kumar, 21, (Bihar), and Satender Singh, 20 (Rajasthan). The duo who survived the nightmare are Sankalp Nigam (22), Madhya Pradesh ) and Somesh Doda (22, Andhra Pradesh). The bodies could not be found.Mangaon police constable Anil Vadate said, “One of the picnickers slipped near the waterfall plunge pool well. Another member tried to rescue him, followed by the third member. Eventually, all three got trapped in the swirling waters. The bodies could be retrieved only on Monday. The victims are employees of Syntel Pvt Ltd, Talawade, Pune.”A team of 35 rescuers, including the police, had to trek around 10km, both ways, to conduct the operation. Patnus Gram Panchayat administrative staff reportedly tried to stop the youngsters from entering the waterfall without the help of a guide. An accidental death case has been registered.Upon learning about the incident, officials of the district administration, rescuers and the police reached the spot. Kundalika Rafting head Mahesh Sanap said, “One of the bodies were traced around 15 feet deep while two others were found around 9ft deep in the swell.”The district administration had imposed prohibitory orders under CrPC section 144. The orders were lifted about 11 days ago.

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