Nilagiri: A youth drowned to death while his maternal uncle was critically injured after the two were swept away by a strong current while bathing in the Son river in Baleshwar district on Sunday.
The deceased has been identified as Subham of Sainkul Asatia village, while his maternal uncle, Bapun, was rescued and admitted to a hospital for treatment.
According to reports, Subham had been staying at his maternal uncle’s house in Kansapatra Sahi. On Sunday, the two went to the Ambikapur ghat of the Son river to bathe.
During bathing, they were reportedly swept away by the current and fell into a deep whirlpool. On noticing the incident, some villagers rushed to their aid and managed to rescue Bapun.
On being alerted, personnel from the Remuna Fire Service reached the spot and launched a search operation for Subham. He was eventually recovered from the whirlpool and rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Police have initiated an inquiry into the incident.
