Bhubaneswar: As many as 970 people have drowned to death while bathing in various rivers in Odisha during the last three years, MoS Home Tusharkanti Behera told the state Assembly Monday.
In response to a question from Souvic Biswal (BJD), the Minister said out of 1,615 people who drowned, 613 were rescued.
Behera said, the state government usually deploys firefighting personnel with relevant equipment near particularly dangerous river banks during festivals as a precautionary measure.
UNI