Bhadrak: A youth drowned while bathing in the Shiva Ganga pond at Aradi Pitha in Bhadrak district on Sunday morning.
The deceased has been identified as Debabrata Mishra, a resident of Dobal Sohada Sasan under Dhamnagar police limits.
According to reports, Mishra had arrived at the shrine along with three friends on two motorcycles from Bhadrak in the early hours. Before offering prayers at the temple, the group proceeded to bathe in the sacred Shiva Ganga pond within the temple premises.
During the bath, Mishra and one of his friends reportedly slipped into deeper waters and began to drown. Locals and fellow devotees managed to rescue both and rushed them to Aradi Hospital.
The duo was later referred to the Bhadrak District Headquarters Hospital, where doctors declared Mishra brought dead. The other youth is undergoing treatment.
On being informed, police reached the spot and have launched an investigation into the incident.
