Bhubaneswar: A pilgrim travelling from Ayodhya to Puri Jagannath Temple went missing after drowning in the Subarnarekha river near Basta in Balasore district on Saturday morning.
The missing pilgrim has been identified as Ashok Pathak from Uttar Pradesh. According to reports, he was on his way to Puri along with family members when they stopped near Rajghat under Basta police station.
Some of the pilgrims were bathing in the Subarnarekha river when Ashok reportedly slipped due to strong current and was swept away into deep water. Family members raised an alarm following the incident.
On receiving information, Fire Services and ODRAF teams reached the spot and launched a search operation using boats.
Rescue teams are facing challenges due to strong current in the river. The family members of the missing pilgrim are present at the spot.Search operation is underway till last reports came in.
