JAJPUR/DHENKANAL: A pall of gloom descended on Sasan Purusottampur after two of the village youths drowned to death while taking bath in the Genguti river near Radhadeipur village under Badachana police limits in Jajpur district on Tuesday. They have been identified as Amit Khandai (22) and Malaya Nayak (23).
According to police sources, three friends from the village had come to the Radhadeipur ghat of the Genguti river to take a bath on Tuesday noon.
While bathing, unfortunately, two youths slipped into the water and went missing. Locals launched a search and after a long time, rescued the two in critical condition. They were immediately sent to the Badachana Community Health Centre (CHC). However, they succumbed while undergoing treatment at the CHC, police said.
On being informed, Badachana police reached the spot and launched a probe. Similarly, in Dhenkanal, a 48-year-old man of village Bankual under the Kamakhyanagar police station limit died on Tuesday after drowning in the village pond. He was identified as Sirin Pradhan.
According to IIC Sarat Mahallick, Pradhan had gone to village pond in the morning for a bath. While bathing, he reportedly tried to get deep into the water when he slipped and drowned. The villagers called fire service and police personnel who rescued and rushed him to Kamakhyanagar hospital but doctors declared him dead.
“We registered a case of unnatural death and sent the body for post-mortem. Further investigation is underway,” said the IIC. “In the morning we were taking a bath in the pond along with Pradhan when we suddenly saw him sinking into the pond. We asked him not to do so, but he did not listen to us and drowned,” said a villager.