Calangute: Nerul resident Umesh Dabholkar, 40, drowned in the sea off Sinquerim after he fell into the water from a fishing boat, due to strong winds and rough sea conditions on Tuesday morning.The incident occurred at around 8am near the lower Aguada Fort.Locals said the boat was very close to the shore when Dabholkar fell into the sea. “He tried to swim to the shore on the other side of the lower fort but was swept away because the current was too strong. He was a good swimmer,” said locals.Lifeguards launched a search operation using jet-skis, but were unable to locate him, and the search was called off in the afternoon. His body later washed ashore on Baga beach at around 3.30pm.This is the second such incident in the area in the last two weeks. On July 31, another fishing boat from Nerul, with five crew members, capsized off Aguada Fort at around 9am due to strong winds. While two managed to swim to the shore at Sinquerim, the other three clung to the boat, which drifted towards Reis Magos, where the coastal police and local fishermen rescued them. No injuries were reported.With the ban on mechanised fishing lifted on July 31, traditional fishermen are permitted to venture into the sea subject to weather conditions. Most choose to fish during this period for prized solar prawns.ted.
