Three sisters from the Mandal family drowned in the Wainganga River near Babupeth on February 26. The incident occurred along the Chandrapur-Gadchiroli National Highway while the family had gathered for a holy bath on Mahashivratri.
According to a media report, the victims Pratima Prakash Mandal (23), Kavita Prakash Mandal (22), and Lipika Prakash Mandal (18)—entered the river around 1:30 PM but misjudged the depth and were swept away.
Around 1:30 PM, Pratima Prakash Mandal (23), Kavita Prakash Mandal (22), and Lipika Prakash Mandal (18) stepped into the river but lost balance after misjudging the depth, leading to them being swept away by the current.
Their younger brother and Poonam Pranav Mandal (30) were also in the water at the time. As the boy began to drown, he cried for help, prompting his uncle to rescue him. Poonam managed to cling to a rock and was later rescued by a search team.
Upon receiving the information, Sawali police officers Pradeep Pullarwar, Mohan Dasarwar, Dheeraj Pidurkar, Rahul Kumareti, and Keval Ture reached the site and initiated a rescue operation using boats. By the time of reporting, Kavita Mandal’s body had been recovered, while the search for the other two sisters was still underway.
The tragedy has left the Mandal family in deep sorrow. The deceased sisters were the daughters of Prakash Mandal and Kalpana Prakash Mandal. Pranav Mandal, their elder brother, is a professor at Sardar Patel College, Chandrapur, while his wife, Poonam, runs coaching classes, where Pratima assisted her. Kavita and Lipika were still pursuing their education.
The sudden loss has cast a pall of grief over the entire family.
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