According to the Malwani police, the two children, both students of Burhani School in Byculla, had come to the beach at 8 in the morning with their parents. While the two families were sitting on the beach, a huge wave swept off the children who were playing nearby.

“The children were playing near the water when a huge wave swept them off. Some of the family members tried to rescue them but to no avail. They got stuck in the wet sand,” said PSI Chandrakant Khanvilkar of the Malwani police station.

According to Khanvilkar, the guards on duty and a few villagers rushed to the families after they heard them shouting for help. By the time the police arrived, the guards had rescued the children and the members who got stuck in the wet sand.

“The two boys had swallowed water and were therefore rushed to INS Hamla, the naval installation nearby, for first aid. They were later shifted to Bhagwati Hospital for treatment. Mois was initially admitted to the ICU, but is now out of danger,” added Khanvilkar.

Juzar Nadir, Murtuza’s uncle, who was present at the time of the incident, said, “We had come to the beach in the morning and had decided to stay till afternoon. We stay next door to Mois house. Around 10 am, when these kids were playing near the water, a huge wave suddenly swept them off. However, no one was seriously injured and the two children were safe.”

Khanvilkar added, “This area is accident-prone. There are frequent casualties in this area and therefore we warn visitors to take required safety measures. People visiting the beach should take precautions and avoid any untoward incident.”