SAMBALPUR: In a dare-devilry act that turned petrifying, a 70-year-old man, suspected to have attempted suicide by jumping off the second Mahanadi bridge, had accidentally fallen into the river while clicking a selfie on Tuesday. This was revealed after he was rescued by fire personnel.
According to reports, Surendra Mohan Mishra of SRIT Colony in the city, a retired government employee was seen roaming around the Mahanadi bridge on the day and subsequently, jumped into the river after removing shoes. As people nearby witnessed the incident, they informed the fire personnel who rushed to the spot to trace Mishra. He was rescued after a search of around half-an hour.
Following his rescue, when Mishra was asked why he jumped into the river, he revealed that he was trying to click a selfie but lost balance and fell.
“I had removed my shoes to avoid slipping and was standing close to the railing of the bridge to click a selfie. However, I have Parkinson disease due to which I lost balance while trying to stand still and click a picture,” he said.
After falling into the river, Mishra tried coming out to the shore but was moved by the water current and stuck to a shrub in the middle of the river from where the fire personnel rescued him.