Daringbadi: With incessant rain crippling lives of people in the district, a sure mishap was averted Tuesday as a tightrope being used by six women, two of them pregnant, to pass over Khadag river snapped midway through their journey over the water.
The women of Kirkuti village under Daringbadi block in Kandhamal district landed in swirling waters and were being swept away when they were saved by three youths who heard their cries and saved them.
Without a second thought, the three youths jumped into the river and pulled the six women to the bank. They were later admitted to a local CHC. The women were identified as Saraswati Amayat (eight-month pregnant), Parbati Amayat (six-month pregnant), Sourendri Amayat, Bilasini Pradhani, Tilotama Bindhani and Srimati Amayat. The incident occurred while the women were on their way to Daringbadi community health centre (CHC) for a routine check-up.
The three youths-Surat Mallick, Ramesh Pradhan and Basant Amayat were applauded for their brave act. With the tightrope snapped, communication to three panchayats-Burangia, Dabarbandh and Kukermaha has been stalled.
Despite repeated pleas to build a bridge, the administration has turned a blind eye to the plight of villagers. A girl had saved the lives of her classmates while they were being swept away in a similar manner after the tightrope they were using had snapped midway three years back.