Puri: In a dramatic rescue operation that stretched into the early hours of Thursday, more than 40 passengers stranded aboard a floating bridge vessel in Chilika Lake in Odisha’s Puri district were safely brought ashore after nearly 11 hours.
The incident occurred amid strong pre-monsoon Nor’wester (Kalbaisakhi) winds that disrupted navigation around 5 pm on
Wednesday.
According to sources, the vessel, traveling from Jahnikuda Ghat toward Satapada, was carrying three cars, 10 motorcycles, and a bus along with the passengers. It became stranded near Mahisakuda when sudden strong winds, heavy rain, and shifting water channels caused it to veer off course and get stuck in high waters.
Fire Service personnel from Malud, along with police from Krushna Prasad station and teams from the Chilika Development Authority (CDA), immediately launched a rescue mission. A second ferry was dispatched to assist, but it too encountered a mechanical failure, compounding the delay. A JCB machine was used to dislodge the vessels from the mud and alternative boats were eventually used to ferry people safely back to Jahnikuda Ghat.