Post News Network
Cuttack, April 2: In a tragic incident, four students of Ravenshaw University drowned in the Jobra barrage on the Mahanadi river Thursday.
One of the students, who was part of the group of five that had gone to the barrage for a bath, was rescued by the local fishermen.
The deceased have been identified as Sahanwaz Khan, Devi Prasad, Pyarimohan Pradhan and Priti Ranjan Das, said sources.
“All the bodies have been sent to SCB Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem,” said Ravenshaw University vice-chancellor Prakash Sarangi.
The incident took place when the five students of the information science and telecommunication (IST) and information technology and management (ITM) departments of the varsity went to Jobra barrage to take bath around 3.30 pm Thursday.
One of the students slipped and fell into the water. When his friends tried to rescue him, they were also pulled in by the current, said the student who was rescued.
“The students had gone to the site to bathe in the Mahanadi,” informed Cuttack collector Nirmal Chandra Mishra, adding that the river was not flowing above the danger mark. “The water level was normal. Two gates of the barrage were opened as usual,” he said. “This incident is very unfortunate,” he said.
Local fishermen, who noticed the plight of the students, rescued one of them. People of the area informed the authorities, following which fire brigade personnel and Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) team rushed to the spot and fished out four bodies.
A district administration official said such incidents are rare at the barrage, which is popular with those wishing to spend time with friends and family in the evenings. “People normally do not take bath in the river. This incident is really unfortunate as it happened at a time when the river was flowing normally,” he said.
Cuttack DCP Sanjeev Arora also had rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation.
The scene of the mishap was full of shocked people. Some relatives and family members of the deceased, who were present at the site were inconsolable.
The exact cause of death is yet to be ascertained, said a district administration official. The authorities will also try to ascertain whether there was any foul play.
Following the death of the four students, the annual function of Ravenshaw University, scheduled to be held April 6, has been cancelled, according to the students’ union sources.
