MUMBAI: A 19-year-old youth with a history of epilepsy drowned while swimming in Kurla’s Sheetal Talao near LBS Road on Friday morning, with police suspecting that he suffered a seizure in the water, leaving him unable to stay afloat.
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According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the incident was reported at 11.49am. Personnel from the Mumbai Fire Brigade, police, the 108 ambulance service, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and BMC ward staff rushed to the lake and launched a rescue operation. Tayade was pulled out of the water and rushed to Rajawadi Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Senior police inspector Vilas Rathod said preliminary inquiries suggest Tayade may have suffered a seizure while swimming, causing him to drown. “It has come to our notice that Aditya had a history of seizures. We suspect he suffered one while he was in the water, which may have led to the drowning. There is no foul play in the incident,” Rathod said.
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Medical experts have long cautioned that swimming can pose serious risks for some people living with epilepsy, particularly if seizures are not fully controlled, and stress the need for constant supervision and safety precautions. The deceased was identified as Aditya Tayade.
According to the police, at around 11.20am, Tayade had gone to the lake with his friends, Kunal Suresh, Mohammad Faizan and Danish Shah, for a swim. During questioning, Kunal told the police that Aditya and Mohammad had decided to race across the lake. While swimming, Aditya suddenly began struggling in the water before disappearing beneath the surface. His friends immediately attempted to rescue him but were unable to pull him out.
Local corporator Mrinal Turde, who visited the spot after the incident, said the youths had entered the lake despite being warned against swimming there. “There were many people at the spot. Aditya began swimming with his two friends before he drowned,” Turde said.
