Seven minors drown across Odisha, four during Ganesh idol immersion

Bhubaneswar, Sep 16 (SocialNews.XYZ) As many as seven minors drowned to death in separate incidents across different districts of Odisha on Wednesday, including four students who drowned during Ganesh idol immersion in rivers and other water bodies.

In the first tragic incident, three minor girls were identified as Gitika Sahoo (6) and Sibika Sahoo (7) of Majhatoli and Shruti Kumari Sahoo (9) of Dhipapada under Salangabahal panchayat in the Raiboga Police limits of Sundargarh district.

The deceased girls, along with another minor boy identified as Pratap Sahoo, had gone to the Sankha River, located near their village, to take a bath, as they often did.

Speaking to IANS, the Inspector-in-Charge of Raiboga police station, Dibya Oram, stated that while playing in the water during their bath, the girls ventured into the deep waters of the river in spate but failed to come out.

The minor boy managed to come out of the water and alerted nearby villagers, who rushed to the spot and pulled the girls out. They were later taken to the community health centre at Biramitrapur, where the doctors declared them dead.

Meanwhile, three school students drowned in two separate incidents while taking part in Ganesh idol immersion ceremonies in Ganjam district on Wednesday. As per reports, two class IX students, Adarsh Sahu and Preetam Sameli, of a private coaching centre met a watery grave in the Ghodahada river in Hinjili. The two were among a group of four students who had gone into the river to immerse a Ganesh idol.

They reportedly slipped into deeper waters during the immersion ceremony. The locals who rushed to the spot managed to save the lives of two students, but the deceased Adarsh Sahu and Preetam Semeli drowned. Their bodies were later fished out of the water by the fire services personnel.

In a separate incident, one Sitanshu Jena (13), a Class VIII student, drowned in a village pond at Sidhakhandi under Digapahandi police station limits. Locals claimed that Sitanshu and his friends had gone to the village pond to immerse an idol of Lord Ganesh from their coaching centre.

While carrying the idol into the water, his foot became trapped in the mud, causing him to lose balance and drown in deep water. His friends rushed to alert nearby villagers, who eventually pulled him out unconscious after a prolonged search, but doctors at MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Brahmampur declared him dead upon arrival.

In a separate incident, a class IX student, Piyush Das, of one Residential School at Digachia under Chandbali block of Bhadrak district drowned during the immersion of a Lord Ganesh idol in a pond near the school.

Source: IANS