ROURKELA: Police and rescue personnel retrieved the body of a student of the National Institute of Technology – Rourkela (NIT-R) on Sunday forenoon after he drowned and went missing in the Akshayshila waterfall on Saturday evening.
A group of 11 students on Saturday afternoon had gone on an unauthorised trip to the scenic picnic spot of the forested waterfall located near Kaliaposh of Bisra block in Sundargarh district, about 20 km from the NIT-R.
The deceased was identified as Begaria Adarsh (20). He went missing in the plunge pool of the waterfall around 4.30 pm on Saturday while reportedly taking a bath. NIT-R Registrar Prof.Rohan Dhiman said Adarsh was a second-year student of the Integrated MSc (Mathematics) programme and belonged to Hyderabad. He said they got information from other students in the group around late Saturday evening and the Bisra police station and the deceased student’s parents were immediately informed about the incident.
The Registrar said police visited the site on Saturday night, but due to darkness, it was difficult to locate the student. The rescue operation started on Sunday morning and the body was located and retrieved around 10 am.
Prof.Dhiman described it as an unfortunate incident and said necessary steps would be taken to prevent the reoccurrence of similar incidents in future.
Reports said that after witnessing Adarsh drowning in the water, other students in the group got panicked and unsuccessfully tried to trace their missing friend before finally deciding to inform the NIT-R authorities.