SAMBALPUR: A pall of gloom descended on Pension Para locality here after a man and his teenage son drowned while his daughter went missing in Mahanadi river on Monday. The deceased are 45-year-old Md Altaf and his son Md Aftab (15). Efforts are on to trace Altaf’s daughter Rukhsana Parwin.
The tragic incident took place in the afternoon. Sources said the trio had gone to Mahanadi ghat within Town police limits to take bath. While bathing, Rukhsana was swept away by the strong currents in the river. As she screamed for help, father Altaf went inside the water to rescue her. Subsequently, Aftab also went inside the river.
However, all three were swept away and went missing in the river. Locals, who witnessed the incident, informed police. A team of Town police along with fire services personnel rushed to the spot and launched a search operation in the river. Local fishermen also joined the search and recovered the body of Aftab.
Moments later, fire services personnel retrieved Altaf’s body a few hundred metre from the ghat. However, Rukhsana is yet to be traced. Till reports last came in, search operation was underway to trace the girl. Additional SP Tapan Mohanty said two bodies have already been recovered from the river and search is on for the missing girl.