BHUBANESWAR, July 12 (IANS) Four college students drowned while bathing in the Kwakhai River near Dabbalahara under the Pallanta Police Station on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, police said on Wednesday.
According to the police, nine friends from the Asta School of Management went to Dabbalahara for a feast on Tuesday. After the feast, four of them returned to their college while the other five went to Kwajai to take a bath.
While bathing, all five young men are swept away by the strong current of the river. However, one of them was saved alive by the locals.
On getting the information, personnel from Pallanta Police Station conducted a rescue operation and recovered the bodies of two youths on Tuesday evening while the bodies of two more were recovered on Wednesday, said Dilip Gina, diver with Odisha Fire Service.
Because of the strong current in the river water, the students moved about 100 meters away from the bathing site. He said it was about 25 to 30 feet down there in the river where the two bodies were caught today.
The sources said the dead were Aryan Mishra from Jharkhand, Kumar Abinash and Pratik Dalasamant from Cuttack and Rohit Parida from Balasore district.
Sharmila Subramanian, Principal, ASTA School of Management said, “For now, the training of students is going on, and every student will go to a company for training. They have been allowed to visit their company until 7:00 to 7:30 pm.”
A committee has been formed to conduct an investigation and submit its report. She added that the concerned companies were asked to know whether any leave was granted to the students or not.
– Jans
BBM / Dan
