Bhubaneswar: A physiotherapy student went missing while attempting to save his friend from drowning in a water-filled stone quarry at Tapang area in Odisha’s Khurda district on Monday afternoon.
Sources said four youths from a Pahala-based educational institute had come to the Green Lake at Bada Saunlia under Tapang police station in the district in the afternoon. One of the youths fell into the quarry while making reels standing on the brink of the lake and his friend immediately jumped to his rescue. Though the youth who had slipped could be rescued, his friend went missing.
As two others shouted for help, the locals rushed to the spot and informed the police and Fire Brigade. The fire fighters, with assistance from Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), scanned the quarry using scuba sets and mobile light towers from 1.30 pm to 8 pm. However, the youth could not be traced. The operation will resume on Tuesday morning.
The lake, located 12 km from Khurda town, was created after stone mining was stopped about eight years back. It has also become a tourist destination for its scenic beauty.
