A 23-year-old college student of West Bengal is feared to have drowned in the Karo rivulet while taking a selfie near Pundulu village within Bolani police limits in Keonjhar district on Thursday, November 23, reported The New Indian Express.
The student has been identified as Tarasankar Sarkar of the Arambagh area in West Bengal's Hooghly district. Sarkar was a postgraduate (PG) student of Environmental Science at a private college in Kolkata.
Even after over 30 hours of the incident, the student is yet to be traced. The administration has launched a search operation, added TNIE.
Sources said Sarkar was among 38 students of West Bengal who were visiting the mining region on a study tour. They were staying in a private hotel in Barbil town.
At around 12 noon, the students went on an excursion to Punduli village, around 15 km from Barbil, and reached the waterfall on Karo Rivulet. While others were enjoying the scenic beauty of the spot, Sarkar went near the waterfall to click selfies. During the act, he accidentally slipped into the water and was swept away by the strong currents.
One of the students immediately dived into the water to rescue Sarkar but to no avail. He was later rescued by locals present at the spot with the help of a rubber boat.
Police said the area has already been declared a danger zone. However, Sarkar risked his life and climbed on the rocks to take selfies.
On Friday, November 24, a team of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) from Rourkela was engaged in a rescue operation. However, the student could not be traced. Sarkar's family members have also reached Barbil after being informed about the mishap. Till reports last came in, the search was still underway.
