Nine youths drown in Gujarat; five deaths linked to Ganesh idol immersion

Seven drowned on Friday, while the bodies of two who went missing during Ganesh idol immersion in Morbi on Thursday were recovered over the next 24 hours, officials said.Three separate drowning incidents in Gujarat’s Surat, Amreli and Morbi. (Photo: Pixabay)Ahmedabad,Sep 25, 2026 22:04 ISTNine youths have died in three separate drowning incidents in Gujarat’s Surat, Amreli and Morbi districts. Seven drowned on Friday, while the bodies of two who went missing during Ganesh idol immersion in Morbi on Thursday were recovered over the next 24 hours, officials said.In Surat, three youths drowned after a small fishing boat capsized in the Tapi river near Dhoran Pardi village during idol immersion. Kamrej police inspector RB Gojiya identified them as Shardul Mer, 23, Raju Mer, 23, and Dana Shiyaliya, 26, all from Kholvad village. Their bodies were recovered and sent for post-mortem.Gojiya said an artificial immersion pond had been set up about 300 metres from their homes, but the three went to the river, around eight kilometres away.In Amreli district, four youths drowned while bathing in a check dam at Mota Devaliya in Babra taluka. Officials identified them as Kanubhai Shingala and Sachinbhai Shingala of Mota Devaliya, and Bhala Jethva and Kevin Jethva of Navagadh. All four bodies were recovered. The Morbi deaths followed an incident in the Machchhu river near Sadulka village on Thursday. Four youths got into difficulty during idol immersion. Firefighters rescued two of them, Akash Maliya and Akash Gajanand, while a search began for Vilas Gaikwad and Sohan Kuldiya.Morbi Chief Fire Officer Devendrasinh Jadeja said Gaikwad’s body was found around midnight and Kuldiya’s on Friday afternoon. - Ends