ROURKELA: Tragedy struck the Kanakunda canyon on Ib river in Balishankara block of Sundargarh district as two youths of Sambalpur were swept away by strong currents and another had a providential escape while bathing on Wednesday afternoon.
The missing youths were identified as Jaynarayan Patra and Roshan Paswan of Gobindpur in adjacent Sambalpur district.
Sources said the mishap took place at around 1 pm when Patra, Paswan and their friend Akash Sahu, all aged between 19 and 22 years, were bathing at the treacherous stone-bed portion of the river. All three of them were reportedly swept away by the strong currents in the river. While Patra and Paswan went missing, Sahu managed to swim out of the river.
Local villager Lalit Sunuani said the three youths had come to Kanakunda on a motorcycle for a pleasure trip. They were taking bath in the danger zone of the river which is generally avoided by the locals. The river’s water level has increased significantly due to the recent heavy rains and a warning sign displayed on the spot was washed away earlier, he added.
On being informed about the incident, Talsara police along with fire services personnel launched a search operation but could not trace the two missing youths till 6.30 pm on Wednesday. Police confirmed that two youths taking bath at the canyon site went missing and said further details are awaited.
Balishankara sarpanch Dinabandhu Sha said the stunning Kanakunda canyon with its raw scenic beauty near Ghoghar village draws tourists and visitors from far-flung areas. The tourist footfall has increased in recent years due to social media coverage. Ignorant of the treacherous water and rock bed, unsuspecting visitors often find themselves in dangerous situations. Sha claimed the canyon site has claimed the lives of at least one dozen tourists in the past five years.
Recently on July 28, the highly-decomposed body of a youth, who went missing after being swept away by the strong currents in Badalgiri waterfall in Sundargarh’s Gurundia, was found after 22 days. Locals spotted the body of 22-year-old student Gourav Bipra floating in the shallow water near the waterfall and informed police. Bipra along with his friends had gone to Badalgiri waterfall for picnic on July 6 when the mishap took place.