Cuttack: A minor drowned while bathing with friends in Mahanadi river near Badamba T-Setu in Cuttack district on Wednesday after celebrating Holi.
The deceased has been identified as Jeeban Behera (17), a resident of Tunapur village under Badamba police limits.
According to reports, Jeeban had gone to the river with two of his friends at around 10.30 am today. While they were bathing, his friends were caught in a strong current and began to struggle. In an attempt to save them, Jeeban ventured into deeper waters. Although the two boys managed to swim back to the riverbank, Jeeban was swept away by the current.
The boys immediately alerted local residents, who launched a search operation and informed the Baideswar Fire Brigade. Fire service personnel rushed to the spot and conducted a search for several hours before tracing and recovering Jeeban from the river.
He was taken to the Badamba Community Health Centre (CHC), where doctors declared him brought dead.
