Nandapur: A 32-yearold man drowned at Raniduduma waterfall in Koraput district Thursday while visiting the site with relatives and friends, police said.
The deceased was identified as Bhawani Shankar Mohanty, an accountant at Pratibha Nursing College in Koraput and a native of Jagatsinghpur district. Sources said Mohanty had taken his brother-in-law, Saan Kumar, from Bhubaneswar, along with two college students, Nitya Sahu and Ritesh Nag, and a friend, Ismail Hantal, to visit the waterfall.
The group travelled on two scooters. While bathing at the base of the waterfall, Mohanty entered deep water and drowned. The others, who reportedly did not know how to swim, were unable to rescue him. Police, fire services personnel and forest officials reached the spot and recovered the body.
It has been kept at the Nandapur Community Health Centre morgue and authorities are awaiting the arrival of family members. Police registered a case of unnatural death (8/26) based on a complaint filed by the brother-in-law.
Meanwhile, locals have demanded stricter safety measures at waterfalls across the district to prevent such incidents.
