Bhubaneswar: Festivities of Holi turned tragic in Odisha on Wednesday as two youths drowned in separate river incidents, while another remains missing despite hours of search operations.
In Jagatsinghpur district, a youth drowned in the Biluakhai river under Biridi police station limits. The deceased has been identified as Sanjay Mahapatra of Dihisahibari village. After playing Holi, Sanjay had gone to the river to bathe when he reportedly slipped into deep water and drowned. Local residents rescued him and rushed him to a nearby medical facility, where doctors declared him dead.
In a similar incident in Jajpur district, a youth drowned while bathing at Digambarpur ghat on the Brahmani river in Jakhapura area after participating in Holi celebrations. He was pulled out of the water by locals and taken to Danagadi hospital, but doctors pronounced him dead.
Meanwhile, in Kendrapara district, a 22-year-old youth has gone missing in the Kharasrota river at Tunga village under Aul police station limits. The missing youth has been identified as Shubha Sankalp Barik. According to reports, he had gone to the river with friends after playing Holi when he was swept away. Fire service personnel conducted a search operation for nearly three hours, but he could not be traced till the filing of this report.
The back-to-back incidents have cast a shadow over the festive spirit, raising concerns over safety measures during post-celebration river bathing.
