Sambalpur: Two school students drowned in Jhankarapali power channel under Burla police limits while they had gone for bath along with friends Friday morning.
The deceased have been identified as Suman Dalei, 15, son of Karunakar Dalei and Sumit Das, 15, son of Balram Das.
According to sources, the two Class X students of Sri Aurobindo School had gone to a private coaching centre Thursday evening. As usual, the boys stayed back with their friends at the coaching centre at night.
On their way back home Friday morning, eight of the boys went to take bath in the power channel. Due to high tide, the two boys who did not know swimming were washed away, sources said.
Seeing the two getting pulled into the deep water, their friends shouted for help after which locals rushed to the spot and tried to rescue them, but in vain.
Later, a ten-member fire tender team led by fire brigade officer Sukant Nath reached the spot and fished out the boys who had died by the time.
The drowning incident spread a pall of gloom around the area with the cries of family members and relatives.
Police seized the bodies and sent it for autopsy while a probe was launched.
The other six boys were taken to the local fire station and later handed over to their family members.
“The boys are in a traumatic state and not able to speak after the incident. We have handed them over to their parents,” said fire officer Nath.
“Hearing the screams of the boys, we jumped into the water and tried to save the boys, but in vain. The tide was so high that they went missing within seconds,” said Sudhansu Shekhar Tripathy, a villager.
PNN