A swimming event organised to pay homage to those killed in the terror Mumbai attacks ended with the unforeseen death of noted swimmer Vinod Ramchandra Ghadge, early on Tuesday morning .

A state-level swimming champion, Ghadge, 49, had planned to swim from Dharamtar to the Gateway of India. But he reportedly got entangled in the fishing nets along the route and drowned.

“Ghadge, his younger brother Balasaheb and 15-year-old student Dhananjay Kombarekar were supposed to swim from Dharamtar to the Gateway. They had planned to start from Dharamtar at around 2 am. But while the others proceeded safely, Ghadge got caught in a fishing net along the route and drowned,” said D B Kombarekar, Dhananjay’s father.

According to eyewitnesses, there were 50 to 60 people in boats steering along with the swimmers last night, to encourage them. “When we couldn’t spot Ghadge suddenly, three divers dived into the sea to check. When they brought him up, he was gasping for breath. We tried to pump out the water, but he succumbed,” said Ulhas Phatak, Ghadge’s friend, who was in one of the boats.

Phatak said fishing nets usually have bright coloured or lit floats, but Ghadge could not spot the net as it was black.