Jeypore: A heart-wrenching tragedy struck Koraput this afternoon when three Class X students from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), drowned in the waters of the Kolab reservoir while bathing near the school.
The students, identified as Lingaraj Khila, Swastik, and Om Prakash, were residents of the school hostel. According to initial reports, the trio had gone to the reservoir — located in close proximity to the Navodaya Vidyalaya — for bathing this afternoon.
Local residents, upon noticing the incident, promptly rushed to the spot and managed to rescue the students from the water. They were immediately shifted to Shaheed Laxmin Nayak (SLN) Medical College and Hospital in Koraput for emergency treatment. Despite efforts by medical staff, the doctors declared all three students dead upon arrival.
Police officials reached the scene shortly after the incident, recovered the bodies, and initiated a thorough investigation to determine the exact circumstances that led the students to enter the reservoir.
Preliminary inquiries suggest the students may have ventured there without proper supervision, though the precise reasons remain under probe. The families of the deceased have expressed profound anguish and have accused the school authorities of negligence, questioning the lack of adequate monitoring of hostel students and restrictions on access to nearby water bodies.
