Relatives of family of 8 swallowed by the Savitri river plunged in grief; two women fished out
It took just minutes, an angry river and a decrepit bridge to turn the relief of Sampada Waje’s family into grief. Eight members of the family had made a hurried trip to their village, Masav, near Chiplun in Ratnagiri district in a Tavera on Monday to see Sampada’s ailing father for one last time. Upon reaching the village, they were relieved to find out that he was recovering, and decided to return to Mumbai the very next day. But that relief was cruelly snatched away.
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Relatives and friends of the Waje family were inconsolable on receiving news of two members’ bodies being fished out of the Savitri river. Pic/Suresh Karkera
The family was among those washed away by floodwaters of a swollen Savitri river on the Goa-Mumbai highway on Tuesday night. Yesterday, rescue personnel fished out the bodies of Sampada née Ranjana (38) and Shevanti Mirgal (70), the ailing father’s sister-in-law. By a cruel quirk of fate, Sampada’s father, too, died yesterday.
Children in the dark
Vidhesh Waje, the nephew of Sampada’s husband, Santosh, said the couple’s children have still not been told of the tragedy. “Half our family is out there in the waters. It’s not easy to break the news of their parents’ deaths to children.”
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Vaidehi Waje, Vidhesh’s wife, said Sampada worked as a house help and Santosh was a flower vendor. “They struggled to make ends meet, but saved every penny to buy a small house in Amrutnagar, Ghatkopar. Who will take care of the children now? Where will they go?”
Vaidehi demanded that state government be held accountable for the tragedy.
The children — one who just cleared his Std X exam and another a seven-year-old boy — though, seem to have an inkling of the tragedy. The Std X boy either begins to sob or closes up on spotting relatives and family friends.
The children are under the care of Santosh’s sister in Santacruz.
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“Sampada chachi was so happy that her son had managed to clear Std X. No one else in the family has been able to do so. I still remember how she went around telling everyone about it. I can’t believe they won’t be here to watch their children grow,” said Vidhesh.
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