Nilagiri: Two college students went missing Saturday while bathing in the Blue Lake near Mitripur and Machhua villages on the Swar nachuda foothills under Nilagiri police limits in Baleshwar district. The unsafe man-made lake has reportedly claimed several lives in recent years.
Three friends, all Plus II second-year students, arrived at the lake on a motorcycle around 10 am. Two of them entered the lake to bathe, while the third, who could not swim, stayed on the bank. The missing students were identified as Bhavishya Patra, 18, from Baripada area of Mayurbhanj district, and Anshuman Patra, 18, from Bhadrak district.
Both are second-year commerce students at Fakir Mohan College in Baleshwar. Their friend, Roshan Nayak, 18, son of Arjun Nayak of a village under Soso police limits in Kendujhar district did not venture into the lake.
He is a Plus II second year student at Remuna College in Baleshwar district. Bhavishya and Anshuman moved into deep water and began drowning. They reportedly waved to their friend on the bank for help. Roshan sought assistance from another youth who was swimming nearby, but the youth said he could not help because the water was too deep.
On being informed, the Nilagiri police station IIC and SDPO reached the spot with their teams. Firefighters and an Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) team were immediately called in and launched a search and rescue operation.
Family members of the missing students have reached Nilagiri. The incident has once again raised concerns over the lack of safety measures at Blue Lake. Locals questioned how many more lives must be lost before authorities take steps to make the site safe.