Bhubaneswar: A youth drowned and his uncle went missing after attempting to rescue him at the Mahanadi River near the Tirtol bridge in Jagatsinghpur district on Sunday.
The deceased, Kanha Jena, and his missing uncle, Sampada Kumar Jena, a retired school teacher, both live in Nagapur village of Balikuda block in Jagatsinghpur district.
According to reports, Sampada had accompanied family members to perform funeral rites for his late mother, which included head shaving and bathing in the river. During the rituals, Kanha went to bathe in the river but was swept away by the strong current.
In a brave attempt to save his nephew, Sampada jumped into the river. While Kanha was eventually rescued and rushed to Manijanga Community Health Centre (CHC), doctors declared him dead upon arrival. Sampada, however, disappeared during the rescue effort.
Local fire service personnel and residents immediately launched a search operation. As of now, the search for Sampada is still underway.
