Bhubaneswar: Two days after a woman had jumped into the Kuakhai river attempting to commit suicide, two school students drowned while taking bath in the river Wednesday. The deceased were identified as Jagamohan Sahu and Safiq Diggal, both Class IX students of Unit-IX Boys High School here.
Notably, the fire officials, while carrying out a search operation to locate the bodies, rescued a woman from the river and had her admitted in Capital Hospital. The woman, a Home Guard at Mancheswar police station, was crying for help after she jumped into the river to commit suicide.
The two students, part of a six-student group, went to the river near the bridge along with three others to take bath. However, the duo slipped into deep waters and were swept away by currents of the swollen river.
After an hour-long search operation, ODRAF and fire officials rescued one of the two boys, who was immediately rushed to Capital Hospital. However, doctors declared him brought dead. Later, the body of the other student was fished out from the water body.
Six students of the school had gone to take bath in the river. They had left home in their school uniforms but midway, they headed to the river to take bath. One of the boys had not entered the water.
On July 23, a woman of Behera Sahi area under Nayapalli police limits had jumped into the river in an attempt to commit suicide over a family dispute. She was later rescued by the fire services officials after around three hours of a search operation. In view of the spate suicide attempts and drowning in the Kuakhai, Commissionerate Police has decided to identify dangerous spots on the riverbed and put up warning signs, informed Bhubaneswar DCP Anup Sahu said.
The long and wide stretch of the Kuakhai has earned a dubious distinction of fast turning into the City’s suicide point. Over last few months, several people have taken the ‘death plunge’ here while three have attempted to kill themselves over last two days.
Chances of survival in the river are dim as people often get washed away by the high water currents. Being a secluded place away from the city, most of the suicide attempts go unnoticed in this area.
