Nilagiri: Two minor boys drowned while bathing in the Sone River under Nilagiri block of Balasore district on Wednesday, while another boy narrowly escaped the tragedy.
The deceased have been identified as Akash Mahalik (12) and Kartik Behera (12), both residents of Pundal village under Radhakishorepur Panchayat within Nilagiri police limits. Akash’s elder brother, Deepak Mahalik, survived the incident.
According to local sources, Deepak and his younger brother Akash, along with Kartik Behera, had gone to bathe at Mandir Ghat on the Sone River near their village at around noon.
While bathing, Akash reportedly slipped into deeper water and began drowning. Seeing him in distress, Kartik jumped in to rescue him but was also swept into danger. Deepak immediately raised an alarm, prompting villagers to rush to the spot.
The villagers managed to pull the two boys out of the river and shifted them to Remuna Medical College and Hospital in a 108 ambulance. However, doctors declared both boys dead on arrival.
The tragic incident has cast a pall of gloom over Pundal village and the surrounding Radhakishorepur area. Grieving family members and villagers gathered at the hospital and later at the village as news of the deaths spread.
Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the incident.
