BARIPADA: Two youths drowned while taking bath in Sitakund waterfall on the foothills of Similipal Tiger Reserve in Mayurbhanj district on Friday.
The deceased were identified as Satyabrata Naik (23) and his cousin Abhisek Naik (19) of Andheipali village under Bhadrak Rural police limits.
Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Pravat Kumar Mallick said two families from Bhadrak had come to Sitakund for picnic in the morning. When they were busy preparing food, four of their members including the victims reached Sitakund waterfall to take bath. The Naik siblings reportedly went deep into the water.
The SDPO said Abhisek was caught in the current and started to drown. On hearing his screams for help, Satyabrata rushed to his rescue. In his attempt to remain afloat, Abhisek reportedly grabbed Satyabrata and both of them drowned.
On being informed, fire services personnel from Shyamakhunta reached the waterfall and recovered the bodies of the duo. Later, Baripada Sadar police sent the bodies to PRM Medical College and Hospital for postmortem.
Mallick said an unnatural death case has been registered in connection with the incident and further investigation is underway.