SAMBALPUR: In a tragic incident, two final-year MBBS students of the Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) in Burla drowned while bathing at the Deojharan waterfall in the Jujomura area of Sambalpur district on Saturday afternoon.
The deceased have been identified as Monica Meena, a native of Rajasthan, and Sandeep Puri from Delhi. According to Jujomura IIC Sanjay Rout, a group of six students had gone to the popular waterfall site for an outing. While they were bathing, a sudden downpour allegedly led to a sharp rise in the stream’s water level, sweeping away the two students.
Local tourists and the remaining students immediately alerted the fire service personnel and police. Rescue teams arrived at the spot and recovered the bodies from the water, but both were declared dead upon arrival at the local hospital.
Police sources added that Monica sustained a head injury after allegedly striking a rock and was found bleeding.
The incident has cast a pall of gloom over the VIMSAR campus. Police have registered a case of unnatural death and further investigation is underway.