Fishermen along the Maharashtra-Goa coast have been warned not to sail out to sea as heavy rains are expected. According to the Meteorological Department, the South-West monsoon has advanced into the remaining parts of Konkan and Goa including Mumbai and madhya Maharashtra. Conditions are favourable for the further advance of the monsoon over South Gujarat and Vidarbha during the next two days.

While most of Mumbai welcomed the monsoons, the first day of the rains took a toll of two lives in separate incidents. At Bandra Bandstand, a 17-year-old boy from Kherwadi drowned in the sea while picnicking with five of his friends at around 1.30 pm on Sunday. Sachin Dashrath Waghmare, who lived in Bharat Nagar, Kherwadi, was sitting on the rocks behind Hotel Sea Rock with his friends when ahuge wave suddenly lashed at them, scattering the picnickers. But while Sachin's pals barely managed to latch on to the rocks, the receding wave dragged Sachin into the sea.

Within seconds, a lone hand was seen waving for help several metres into the sea. Even as his desperate friends cried for help, it was too late, as no body dared to venture into the rough sea to rescue him. ``It was one of the worst sights one could have seen,'' commented one of the locals, pointing that even they did not dare to sit on the slippery rocks during high tides.

Sachin's body had yet to be recovered till late evening even as his anxious relatives kept a vigil on the shore. This is reportedly the third such drowning incident in the area since 1998. In another incident, a 19-year-old boy died after he slipped and fell into the deep ravines near Kanheri Caves in Sanjay Gandhi National Park this afternoon.

According to the police, Nilesh Bangam and his friend Rajendra Nigam were visiting the ancient Buddhist caves at Kanheriwhen the former suddenly slipped in the gushing waters from the nearby catchment area. He went hurtling down and fell into the rocky ravines about 250 feet below the caves, the police added.

Nigam on seeing his friend slip down rushed to report the matter to officials attached to the archeological department, who in turn informed the police. A police team with the help of forest officials soon rushed to the spot to look for Bangam. After a few hours' search, Bangam's body was recovered from the thick forests below the caves. He was then taken to Bhagwati Hospital where he was declared dead. The spot from where Bangam slipped is a known hazardous zone.

On an average about two persons slip down to their death each year, forest official disclosed. In other parts of the city there were no major disruptions in railway traffic though a few trains were delayed due to water logging. Suburban trains on Harbour Line were running half-an-hour late because Sion was flooded. Trains on Western Railway were delayed by15-20 minutes. Vehicular traffic was normal in most of the city, though heavy rain did cause congestion in some places. Fire brigade reported no incidents of crashing electric poles or falling trees.