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An 18-year-old student of a private college in Mulshi, who visited Sinhagad fort with his teachers and friends for a picnic, drowned in the Hatti water tank on Sunday, officials said.

The Haveli police identified the youth as Shaid Mulla (18), a resident of Mulshi.

According to officials, Mulla is a student of Class 12 and he had come with a group of around 60 students along with four teachers.

The group arrived in two buses and visited the Sinhagad fort, which received heavy rainfall in the last two days. At around 12:45 pm, the police received a call informing them about the drowning incident.

Police with the help of locals initiated a search operation and fished him out of the tank before rushing him to the hospital in Khed Shivapur, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Police said that approach roads at the fort, which is a popular tourist spot, have become slippery because of consistent rains over the last few days.

Senior police inspector Sadashiv Shelar said, while exploring the fort, Mulla slipped from the road and drowned in the Hatti tank. “Immediately his friends called locals to save him, but unfortunately, he could not survive.’’

Shelar further said that police have reported the case as accidental death and further investigation is going on.

Sinhagad fort annually attracts a large number of tourists from Pune and Mumbai on weekends.

Tanks on the fort fill up after the onset of the monsoon. Despite repeated warnings, many picnic-goers often turn a blind eye to the risk involved in exploring the fort. The administration appealed to the tourists to take precautions on slippery roads while visiting the fort.

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