On Friday, October 17, a tragic incident occurred when two Class X students from Ispat English Medium School in Sector 20, Rourkela, drowned while bathing in Ghagarai nullah near Birkera in Lathikata block, under Brahmani Tarang (BT) police limits in Sundargarh district. The deceased were identified as Omm Suna (16) and Anurag Das (16).

Details of the mishap

The incident took place around 12 noon when a group of six students from the school visited the scenic Ghagarai nullah for a pleasure trip. Suna and Das entered the water to check its depth and subsequently drowned. The four other students, Abhijit Hobo, Sumit Seth, Abhishek Sahu, and Pritam Hasda, all aged 16 and from different sectors of Rourkela Industrial Township, narrowly escaped the tragedy.

Rescue efforts and recovery

Following the incident, the four surviving students raised an alarm, prompting locals to rush to the scene. Brahmani Tarang police and fire services were informed and arrived promptly to launch a search operation. After hours of effort, fire services personnel recovered the bodies of Suna and Das at approximately 3 pm.

The bodies of the two students have been sent to the morgue at Rourkela Government Hospital for preservation. Gagon Bihari Nayak, Inspector-in-Charge of BT police station, confirmed that an unnatural death case has been registered, and further investigation is ongoing to determine the circumstances of the incident.