• Wednesday, December 25, 2024

INDIA

Holidaying at Goa beach turns tragic as British man drowns in front of wife

Vijay Tulshidas Daswani, 72, drowned after he and his wife were pulled in by the ‘strong waves’ after they ventured out into the water ignoring warnings. 

Tourists relax at a beach in the Indian state of Goa. (Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images)

By: indiaweekly.biz Staff

A VACATION in India’s popular tourist destination of Goa turned out to be a disaster for a couple last week when they ventured into the sea despite warnings.

While his wife survived, the 72-year-old Vijay Tulshidas Daswani, a British, died at Talpona beach in south Goa on Friday (22) after 6 pm local time, The Independent reported. 

According to Harish Raut Dessai, a police officer at Goa’s Canacona police station who spoke to the news outlet, the couple were dragged out by a “strong wave” and despite life guards swinging into action immediately, the man could not be saved. 

Daswani, who hailed from Mapesbury in London, was rushed to a local hospital but was declared dead. Both were given CPR but while his wife could be resuscitated, he didn’t survive. The duo got married a year and half ago, it was learnt. They were regular visitors to Goa and were on a 15-day trip to the region when the incident happened. The wife looked on helplessly as her husband perished in deep currents. 

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“We received a call from a duty officer on Friday at 6.13pm informing us that a 72-year-old man named Vijay Tulshidas Daswani, a resident of Mapesbury, London, had been brought [in] dead in a case of drowning,” Dessai was quoted as saying by The Independent.

“At Talpona Beach, a strong wave dragged the deceased and his wife into the sea. Both were brought to the shore by the lifeguard, but Mr Vijay was declared dead at Community Health Centre Talpona,” he added.

Dessai also said Daswani’s body was taken to the local hospital in South Goa District Hospital in Margao, where the autopsy was carried out over the weekend.

The police officer said a case of unnatural death was filed under section 174 of the Indian Code of Criminal Procedure.

A spokesperson of Canacona police said the couple had stepped out into the deep sea ignoring warnings.

“They began to drift and raised an alarm, when the lifeguards rushed to their rescue. The lifeguards were able to revive the wife but could not save the man,” the official said, as per The Independent.

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Sources in the British foreign office said they were supporting the family of the British man and were in talks with the local authorities.

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