JAGATSINGHPUR: The bodies of two students who were swept away in the Hansua river while bathing were recovered on Saturday after an intensive two-day search operation by personnel of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and Fire Services.
The deceased were identified as Kanha Kandi (19) and Butu Kandi (14). Kanha, a BTech student at a private engineering college in Bhubaneswar was a resident of Ambiki village under Erasama police limits while Butu was a Class X student of Government High School at Ambiki.
According to sources, Kanha had gone to bathe in the river with five friends on Friday when Butu was swept away by the strong tidal current. Hearing his cries for help, Kanha jumped into the river to rescue him but also lost his footing and was swept away.
The other boys alerted family members, following which Fire Services personnel from Erasama launched a search operation. However, the missing students could not be traced on Friday, and the operation was suspended after nightfall. The search resumed on Saturday morning with assistance from an ODRAF team. By afternoon, rescuers recovered both bodies from the river, casting a pall of gloom over Ambiki village and nearby areas.
The incident invited anger against the Rural Development department as villagers claimed earth had been excavated from both sides of the Hansua river during the construction of the Dahibar-Ambiki bridge, leaving pits around 50 ft to 60 ft deep. They alleged that no warning boards, barricades or other safety measures had been put in place despite the hazardous condition of the riverbed.
Villagers also alleged that the bridge project has remained incomplete for the past five years, while the deep excavation pits and strong tidal currents have turned the river into a death trap.
Ambiki sarpanch Ranjan Kumar Jethy alleged that the contractor had excavated large quantities of earth from both sides of the bridge without ensuring public safety. “No preventive measures or warning signs were installed. The negligence of the RD department has led to this tragic incident,” he claimed.
Erasama IIC Partha Prasanna Beura said police recovered the bodies and sent them for postmortem. An investigation has been initiated.