JAJPUR: Two youths drowned while crossing a canal on a banana tree raft in flood-hit Bari block on Saturday. They were identified as siblings Subhrajit Behera (25) and Mitul Behera (28) of Meduakul village under Mandari panchaat. Police said the duo was crossing the canal on the banana tree raft at around 11.00 am to collect grass for their cattle when it overturned.
Since the canal was brimming with water due to the recent floods, the siblings drowned due to the strong currents. A local first spotted the youths fighting to stay afloat and informed villagers.
The fire brigade staff of Bari reached the spot and launched a search operation with the help of locals. The two were traced and rushed to the local hospital where the doctors declared them brought dead.
Police have registered an unnatural death case and sent the bodies for postmortem. Bari is one of the worst flood-hit blocks of the district.
Over 1.7 lakh in all 29 panchayats of the block have been severely affected due to the floods from Brahmani and Kharasrota rivers. The deluge has washed away many houses and damaged crops in over 10,000 hectare of farmland in Bari.