62-Year-Old Washed Away With Motorcycle From Flooded Koregaon Mul Barrage; NDRF Search Underway

A 62-year-old man was swept away along with his motorcycle while attempting to cross the submerged Koregaon Mul barrage on the Mula-Mutha River on Tuesday evening. The incident occurred as floodwaters flowed rapidly over the Kolhapur-type barrage following heavy rains. Teams from the NDRF and the fire brigade have launched a search operation.

The missing man has been identified as Gangadhar Sahebrao Gote, a resident of Bivari village. According to local officials and villagers, the incident took place between 6 pm and 6.15 pm when nearly a foot of water was flowing over the barrage. Despite the dangerous conditions, he reportedly tried to ride across before losing control and being dragged into the strong current.

A video showing the man and his motorcycle being swept away has since gone viral on social media, drawing widespread attention to the incident. Local residents rushed to the spot and began searching for him even before emergency teams arrived.

The Mula-Mutha River has been in spate due to increased water discharge upstream, leaving the Koregaon Mul barrage completely submerged. Rescue operations are being carried out by the NDRF, the fire brigade and local volunteers, but the swift current and rising water level have made the search difficult.

Residents of the area said videos highlighting the dangerous conditions at the submerged crossing had circulated on social media over the past few days. They alleged that despite repeated warnings and the visible risk, adequate preventive measures such as barricading the crossing or restricting access were not put in place.

Several locals have demanded an inquiry into the incident and sought action against the departments responsible for public safety. They said better coordination between the police, revenue authorities and the public works department could have prevented people from attempting to cross the flooded barrage.

Authorities have appealed to residents to avoid crossing submerged roads, bridges and barrages during the ongoing spell of heavy rainfall. The search operation for Gangadhar Gote continued till the time of publication.