BARBIL: A 23-year-old college student of West Bengal is feared to have drowned in Karo rivulet while taking selfie near Pundulu village within Bolani police limits in Keonjhar district on Thursday. The youth was identified as Tarasankar Sarkar of Arambag area in West Bengal’s Hoogly district.
He is a postgraduate student of Environmental Science at a private college in Kolkata. Though the administration has launched a search operation, the student is yet to be traced even after 30 hours.
Sources said Sarkar was among 38 students of West Bengal who had come to the mining region on a study tour. They were staying in a private hotel in Barbil town. At around 12 noon, the students went on an excursion to Punduli village on Barbil outskirts and reached the Karo rivulet waterfall. While others were enjoying the scenic beauty of the spot, Sarkar went near the waterfall to click selfies. During the act, he accidentally slipped into the water and was swept away by the strong currents.
One of the students immediately dived into the water to rescue Sarkar but to no avail. He was later rescued by locals present at the spot with the help of a rubber boat. On being informed, Bolani police along with fire services personnel from Barbil reached the spot and launched a search operation.
Police said the area has already been declared a danger zone. However, Sarkar risked his life and climbed on the rocks to take selfies.On Friday, a team of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) from Rourkela was engaged in rescue operation. However, the student could not be traced.Sarkar’s family members have also reached Barbil after being informed about the mishap. Till reports last came in, the search was still underway.