A ten-year-old boy drowned at Marve beach in Mumbai on Sunday during Chhath Puja while a man who tried to save him went missing, police said.
The incident occurred around 6 am when Ajay Chauhan (10), who was accompanying his family for the Puja, slipped and fell into water, a police official said.
Mukul Shah (19) who saw Chauhan falling jumped into the sea to rescue him, he said.
While Chauhan's body was found by lifeguards deployed at the beach, a search operation is underway to trace Shah.
A case of accidental death has been registered.
Police fear Shah might have been drowned as well.
Chauhan and Shah were residents of Pathanwadi in Malad (East).
"People were allowed to go near the shore at 6 am to perform puja when the incident occurred, said Jagdev Kalapad, senior inspector, Malvani police station.