26-year-old Delhi model goes swimming in 'death trap' Kerala quarry, drowns
Divyanshu Joshi, who had gone to the abandoned quarry to scout the location for an ad shoot, drowned after entering the water. The panchayat said the site had long been treated as dangerous and no permission had been granted for the shoot.
A 26-year-old Delhi-based model drowned in an abandoned stone quarry in Kerala's Ernakulam district while scouting locations for an advertisement shoot.
The victim, Divyanshu Joshi, had travelled to Kochi for a commercial shoot for a clothing brand, reported The New Indian Express. The incident occurred on the afternoon of May 28 in serene Pettamala when Joshi and a friend visited the site.
According to police, Joshi entered the quarry waters and apparently slipped, losing his balance moments later. His friend, who was filming him at the time, alerted nearby residents, who informed authorities.
Fire and rescue personnel rushed to the spot after receiving the distress call. Joshi was pulled out from a depth of about 30 feet and taken to the government hospital in Perumbavoor, where doctors declared him brought dead, as per the report.
Police said the quarry, inactive for more than 20 years, is considered highly dangerous, with water depths reaching nearly 100 feet in some areas.
A preliminary probe suggests the group chose the location after being impressed by aerial videos of the quarry circulating on social media.
Shimy Varghese, the local panchayat president, told the Indian Express that the site had long been known as a hazard.
"The abandoned quarry had turned into a death trap several years ago. We had prevented people from going there. A few people had drowned in the past and we had placed warning boards," Varghese was quoted as saying.
She said the panchayat had not granted permission for the proposed shoot. "We do not know how they managed to reach there."
Three days after the incident, Kartik Research, the clothing brand Joshi was shooting for, issued a statement mourning his death.
"For the past two years, Divyanshu led our Delhi store with warmth, dedication, and generosity. He was deeply loved by his team and will be profoundly missed by everyone who had the privilege of knowing and working alongside him," the company said.
The brand also pushed back against what it described as inaccurate reports about the accident, saying Joshi was in Kerala for a seasonal photo shoot and “was not participating in any swimming-related activity as part of the production.”
It added that some accounts had “mischaracterised the circumstances of the incident.”