Puri: In yet another tragic incident along the Puri coastline, a mother and her son lost their lives after being swept away by a powerful rip current while bathing in the sea on Saturday morning.
The deceased have been identified as Kusum Gupta and her son Ankit Gupta, residents of the Ranchi area in Jharkhand. The incident occurred near the Pink House area on Chakratirtha Road, a stretch of beach where lifeguards are reportedly not deployed.
According to sources, Kusum Gupta and her son had gone to the beach along with other family members and were enjoying a sea bath when a sudden strong wave, triggered by a rip current, pulled Kusum into deeper waters. In an attempt to save his mother, Ankit entered the sea but was also caught in the same rip current and dragged further inside.
Hearing the desperate cries of the family members, a private lifeguard and local fishermen rushed into the sea and managed to rescue both Kusum and Ankit. They were immediately taken to the Puri District Headquarters Hospital for treatment. However, doctors declared both of them brought dead.
Following the incident, a mournful atmosphere prevailed at the hospital as grieving family members struggled to come to terms with the loss.
The tragedy has once again highlighted serious safety concerns along certain stretches of the Puri beach. Locals and visitors have pointed out that no lifeguards are deployed in the Chakratirtha beach area, despite frequent incidents of tourists being caught in rip currents.
Members of the public have urged the district administration to take immediate steps, including deploying trained lifeguards, installing warning signage, and restricting sea bathing in high-risk zones to prevent such avoidable loss of lives in the future.
