Balasore: A youth got drowned while two others went missing while bathing in Budhabalanga river during a picnic in this district, Monday. The deceased was identified as Ankit Pati, 21, from Kadamsahi under Nilagiri NAC limits. Two of his friends had a providential escape.
The incident occurred when five engineering students visited the river ghat in Kathasangada village for picnic. Ankit and four of his classmates had initially planned their picnic at Chandipur but changed their mind and visited the river ghat this morning. They started cooking at the river ghat and went to take bath in the river.
They were bathing when Ankit, his friends Kanhu Charan Mishra, 20, and Piyush Pratyush Nayak, 20, accidentally fell into deep water and slipped further into it. Their two other friends raised an alarm after failing to trace them.
Locals launched a search operation and also informed the fire personnel. They struggled for some time and fished out the body of Ankit while the two others remained untraceable.
A team of NDRF personnel also launched a rescue operation following the district Collector’s directive. Remuna tehsildar Charles Nayak also visited the spot and reviewed the search operation.
PNN