Bhubaneswar: A 22-year-old youth drowned in the Kuakhai river under Satyabhamapur panchayat of Balianta police station on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar on Sunday afternoon.
The deceased has been identified as Kanhu Charan Singh, son of Nabakrishna Singh, a resident of the Dhauli police station area. Balianta police conducted the post mortem and handed over the body to the family.
According to reports, Kanhu and six of his friends had gone to bathe in the Kuakhai river at Kantagotha. One of the friends slipped into deep water, and Kanhu jumped in to save him. He managed to pull his friend to safety with help from others.
However, Kanhu himself went into the deep water in the process. Though he was seen raising his hand while drowning, the other friends could not muster the courage to rescue him. A local person bathing nearby also tried to save Kanhu but failed.
Fire brigade personnel later rescued him and sent him to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. Locals alleged that youths often drown in the river as they are unaware of the depth of the water.
