Bhubaneswar: A series of tragic drowning incidents claimed at least 11 lives across Odisha on Wednesday, with most occurring during the immersion of Lord Ganesh idols in local ponds and rivers, turning festive celebrations into scenes of grief in multiple districts.
In Jagatsinghpur district, four young men drowned after being swept away by strong currents in the river near Pandawa Gopalpur under Erasama police limits while immersing a Ganesh idol with members of a local village club. Locals managed to pull one out initially and alerted authorities, after which fire services personnel, villagers and divers launched intensive search and rescue efforts; all four were eventually recovered and rushed for medical treatment but did not survive. The deceased were identified as Sushil Palei, Manjit Swain, Rashmiranjan Nayak and Swapnajit Barik, aged between 20 and 25. Residents later voiced concerns over the absence of designated safe immersion sites and safety measures for smaller village-level ceremonies, unlike the arrangements typically made for major festivals.
In Sundaragada district, tragedy struck Salangabahal village under Raiboga police limits near Biramitrapur, where three young girls—Gitika Sahu (6), Sivika Sahu (7), and Shruti Kumari (9), drowned in the Sankh River. They had gone with a boy companion around 8.30 am to bathe and collect sand from the riverbank as part of preparations for the upcoming Karma Puja. The girls slipped into deeper water; the boy raised an alarm, prompting villagers to pull them out and rush them to Birmitrapur Community Health Centre, where doctors declared them brought dead. Police registered an unnatural death case and prepared the bodies for autopsy, as the tragedy cast a shadow over the village ahead of the festival scheduled for September 22.
Ganjam district reported three student deaths in two separate immersion-related mishaps. In Hinjilikatu area, 14-year-olds Adarsh Sahu of Gajapati Marg and Preetam Sameli of Gayatri Nagar drowned while immersing an idol in the Ghodahad river. Locals rescued them in critical condition and took them to a nearby hospital, where they were declared dead. Police seized the bodies for postmortem and registered a case. In a second incident at Siddhikhandi under Digapahandi police limits, Class VIII student Sitanshu Jena drowned in a village pond while a group of tuition students from Kotinada panchayat immersed an idol. He slipped into deep water, was pulled out and rushed to Digapahandi hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
Additionally, in Bhadrak district, Class 9 hostel student Piyush Das drowned in a pond near a local government agriculture research centre close to Dighia market. He had gone with fellow residential students to immerse a Ganesh idol, slipped into deep water during the ritual, and could not be located immediately by peers who then alerted school authorities. Fire services divers recovered him and rushed him to Tihidi Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. Local residents expressed outrage, blaming the school administration for allowing the unsupervised outing.
Following the tragic events, Director General of Odisha Fire and Emergency Services, Sudhanshu Sarangi, urged the public to exercise extreme caution and avoid deep or unfamiliar waters, noting that while formal safety measures are deployed for major events like Durga Puja, local celebrations occur across thousands of schools and clubs, making personal vigilance vital. “We appeal to the public to exercise extreme caution. Please do not venture into deep or unknown waters during idol immersion,” he said.
Sarangi specifically called on parents and school authorities to take direct responsibility during ceremonies and highlighted that local organisers can pre-arrange safety assistance with fire service units ahead of upcoming festivals like Vishwakarma Puja and Durga Puja to prevent further tragedies.