NAVI MUMBAI, India — A perilous monsoon walk home from school turned nearly fatal for two teenage girls on Wednesday afternoon, July 1, 2026 when they suffered severe electric shocks while wading through a heavily waterlogged street beneath the Nerul LP Bridge on the Sion-Panvel Highway.

The incident, which took place around 12:30 PM, temporarily knocked the students unconscious after a damaged underground streetlight cable electrified the accumulated rainwater. Thanks to the quick presence of mind of local bystanders, a major tragedy was narrowly averted.

The victims, identified as 17-year-old Shubhangi and 18-year-old Ujwala, are class 12 students at People's College in Belapur. The teenagers were returning home together amid a heavy downpour that has actively inundated the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

After stepping off a bus near the highway, the girls held hands to steady themselves against the mounting pooling water as they attempted to cross the waterlogged road median. Unbeknownst to them, an active electrical current had heavily charged the surrounding floodwater. Upon entering the pool, both girls suddenly sustained intense electrical shocks and collapsed motionless into the rising water.

"While waiting at the traffic signal in my auto, I heard screams of the girls from behind. I rushed out and saw the two girls collapse on the flooded road and lie motionless," recalled Pravin Mahale, an auto rickshaw driver who witnessed the sudden crisis unfolds.

A massive tragedy was averted due to the swift actions of Mahale and a nearby traffic constable. When the constable rushed over to retrieve the teenagers, he immediately felt a warning current passing through the water. Realizing the extreme hazard, Mahale grabbed a tree branch to safely hook the girls' backpacks and drag their bodies out of the energized pool.

The teenagers were rushed by autorickshaw to Dr. D.Y. Patil Hospital for immediate stabilization. Following their initial emergency treatment, they were relocated to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the NMMC Hospital in Vashi for extended observation. Medical staff have confirmed that both students are currently in stable condition but will remain under a 24-hour medical watch.

The horrifying incident sparked immediate joint investigations by the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) and local municipal engineering units.

A preliminary technical team inspection revealed a severe maintenance failure near the road median, where the broken protective insulation of a trenched outgoing cable left a live streetlight wire completely exposed.

During the torrential rains, pooling water seeped into the open median gap and contacted this bare wire, electrifying the surrounding area. Regarding jurisdiction, MSEDCL officials clarified that while they supply power up to the meter; the specific streetlight connection and outgoing cable network are fully owned and maintained by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC).

Following the narrow escape, local civic activist groups have strongly demanded an exhaustive safety audit of all public underground cabling and junction boxes across Navi Mumbai's major transit points, as weather services warn of ongoing heavy downpours.