Eight persons, including six from one village, drowned while they bathing in a river after Holi celebrations in two separate incidents in Odisha since Friday.
Tragedy unfolded at Mangalaghat on the bank of Kharasrota river in Jajpur district on Friday. Seven teenagers, aged between 16 and 21 years, went to take a bath in the Kharasrota in the afternoon. One of the victims slipped and was swept away by the swirling waters of the river. Another victim tried to pull him out, but failed and also drowned. All six, who hailed from Bandhmula village, fell victim one after another in the same way.
Villagers managed to rescue one of the group, who is in critical condition. Fire personnel recovered two bodies on Friday. Subsequently, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) personnel were pressed into service to trace bodies. They found one body on Saturday morning.
“Since there is no report of anyone managing to swim to the bank, we suspect all three missing persons to be dead. ODRAF personnel are likely to trace bodies by evening,” Purna Chandra Marandi, Assistant Fire Officer, said.
The search for bodies continues over a 22-km stretch of the river. All victims were close relatives. They had gathered in their village for a religious event.
Similarly, two persons who hailed from West Bengal and were working as daily wage-earners died while taking a bath in Kharla river at near Sarda village under the Kuchinda police limits of Sambalpur district on Saturday. Their bodies have been recovered.
Holi revelry turned tragic in another incident when a couple and their three-year-old daughter died in a road accident in Sundargarh district. The motorcycle the family was riding on hit a road divider leading to the parents’ death. Their seven-year-old daughter is battling for life in a hospital.
