ROURKELA: Two college students drowned and as many narrowly survived while bathing in the Brahmani river near the barrage of the Tarkera pump house of the Rourkela Steel Plant within RN Pali police limits on Saturday.
The deceased were identified as Raj Kumar Mahato and Zuraib Khan, both 20-years-old. Sources said the duo had gone to the Tarkera pump house site on a pleasure trip along with two of their friends Bhabesh Prasad and Rajib Prasad. The four had gone to the river for bathing at around 1 pm when the incident took place. While Bhabesh and Rajib managed to come out of the river, Mahato and Khan drowned.
On getting information, police along with rescue personnel reached the spot and retrieved the bodies from the river. Police said the bodies have been preserved at the morgue of the Rourkela Government Hospital for autopsy on Sunday.
Employment Minister Sarada Prasad Nayak also rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation and expressed grief and shock over the incident.
Owing to the frequent drowning mishaps due to rise and fall of water at the barrage site, the RSP had years ago declared the area a restricted zone. However, there is no proper signage or enforcement in the site.