Kesinga/Tihidi/Chhatrapur: As many as seven persons drowned in separate incidents at Kalahandi, Ganjam, Mayurbhanj and Bhadrak districts during Dussehra.
In the first incident, Rosy Sahu, 17, and Namita Sahu, 12, along with their younger brother had gone to take bath in the pond at Bagada village under Kesinga police limits. Due to carelessness, the boy was swept into deep water.
In a bid to save him, the two sisters got into the water and saved him. Unfortunately, they could not come out of the pond and drowned.
Their bodies have been recovered by the cops and have been sent for post-mortem.
Similarly, an elderly woman and her two minor granddaughters met with their watery grave at Nuagaon under Tihidi police limits in Bhadrak district when they were imbued with Dussehra celebration Friday. The casualties marred the festive mood of the people.
The deceased were Muli Mallick (70), Anjana Das (11) and Shrabani Mallick (9). Anjana hailing from Sanalahunipal was at her uncle’s village to see Durga puja.
The two minors had gone to a nearby pond to collect greens, but they drowned. On seeing it, their grandmother plunged into the water to save them, but all the three drowned.
Villagers later retrieved their bodies. Police registered a case and sent the bodies for post mortem.
A minor girl identified as Phula Kishu drowned at Mundathakura village under Rairangpur police limits in Mayurbhanj district. The mishap took place while she was bathing in a pond.
Moreover, a man was drowned in Rushikulya river under this police limits in Ganjam district Saturday.
The deceased was identified as Raghu Barad of Pottalampur village under this police limits. He had gone to take his bath in the river when he slipped his legs and drowned. Family members and locals searched for him and recovered him floating in the river.
They rushed him to the Chhatrapur sub-divisional hospital where doctors pronounced him brought dead. Police registered a case and conducted a post-mortem on the body.
PNN