Bhubaneswar: Two students lost their lives in separate drowning incidents in Odisha on Tuesday, with preliminary reports pointing to negligence and underestimation of river currents as key factors.
In the first incident, a student of BJB College died after drowning in the Bhargavi River near Kaushalyaganga under Pubasasan outpost limits on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. According to reports, six students from two groups had gone to the river in the afternoon to take a bath. Before entering the water, they were shooting reels on their mobile phones along the riverbank.
During this time, three students reportedly slipped and fell into the river. On being alerted, Fire Services personnel rushed to the spot and rescued all three. They were immediately shifted to a hospital, where doctors declared one student dead. The other two are currently undergoing treatment. Police have registered a case and initiated an investigation.
In a separate incident in Keonjhar district, the body of an ITI student was recovered from the Baitarani River at Baraswar Ghat under Anandpur police limits. The deceased has been identified as Chinmay Sethi of Bancho village.
According to family members, Chinmay had left home on Monday stating that he would visit his maternal uncle’s house and then go to college, but did not return. On Tuesday afternoon, locals spotted a body floating in the river, triggering a large gathering at the ghat.
On receiving information, Anandpur police along with Fire Services personnel from Hatadihi reached the spot and recovered the body, which was later identified as Chinmay. Family members suspect that he may have drowned while attempting to cross the river.
Police have registered an unnatural death case and sent the body for post-mortem to Anandpur Sub-divisional Hospital. Further investigation into both incidents is underway.
