Bhubaneswar: Five persons, including a two-year-old child and a woman, died in separate drowning incidents in different places of Odisha on Sunday.
In Cuttack, two engineers drowned while bathing in the Kathajodi River near Sector-11 in the CDA area of the city in the afternoon. As per information, four persons had gone for a bath when one of them lost balance and slipped deep into the river water. Another tried to rescue him but got swept away by the strong current.
The Fire Service personnel launched a search and rescue operation following the incident. The two have been identified as Rutikesh Matal (25) and Rutik Bhanje (24), both engineers from Maharashtra employed with a private company who were engaged in the expansion work at the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
In another mishap in Sundargarh district, a woman identified as Anasi Behera from Chenpur village drowned while bathing near the Pradhanpali ghat in the Koel River. She reportedly lost control and was swept into deeper water. When she did not return home, her family began searching and later found her body floating in the river.
In another incident near the same ghat, an ITI student, identified as Swadheen Oram, drowned after he accidentally fell from the Pradhanpali rail bridge into the Koel River while trying to take a selfie.
Similarly, a two-year-old child drowned in a pond at Kalamanga village in Balasore district. The child had wandered into the backyard of the house while playing and accidentally fell into the water body.
