Cuttack: A bathing outing turned tragic after two youths drowned in the Mahanadi river near Kandarpur in Athgarh area of Cuttack district on Thursday when a group of six friends was swept away by a strong current.
The deceased have been identified as Chinmay Das, a resident of Kandarpur village, and Sankalp Rath of Athgarh Sasan Sahi.
According to reports, the six friends had gone to the river at Kandarpur to bathe when they were suddenly caught in a strong current and began struggling in the water. Hearing their cries for help, local fishermen rushed to the spot and managed to rescue four of them from the river.
However, two youths went missing in the water. A search operation was immediately launched by local fishermen with assistance from the fire brigade. After nearly an hour of frantic search, the bodies of the two missing youths were recovered from the river.
Following the incident, Athgarh police, fire brigade personnel and local villagers carried out rescue and recovery operations at the site. The four rescued youths were shifted to Athgarh Government Hospital for treatment.
The tragic incident has cast a pall of gloom in the area as local residents gathered at the riverbank following the mishap.
