A major disaster was narrowly averted in Chilika Lake on Wednesday morning when a passenger boat carrying over 50 passengers and more than 25 motorcycles developed a sudden technical glitch and became stranded mid-water.
The vessel had departed from Jahnikuda for Satapada under the Krushnaprasad block of Puri district at approximately 7 AM. A few minutes into the journey near Mainsa village in the middle of the lake, the boat suffered a mechanical fault.
With deep water surrounding the stranded vessel and heavy overload—including several children—panic erupted among passengers who began shouting for help.
Fortunately, timely intervention saved the day when another boat arrived at the scene and safely evacuated all stranded passengers and motorcycles to Satapada. No casualties were reported.
Following the incident, residents expressed severe outrage, pointing out that such breakdowns occur routinely due to operators flouting safety norms and carrying passengers beyond capacity for extra profit, while district authorities allegedly look on as mute spectators.
