A serene Sunday outing ended in sorrow when two youths tragically lost their lives after falling into a water body in the picturesque Patahara Waterfall area of Harichandanpur Block in Keonjhar District.
The victims, identified as Atul Ranjan Sahu and Rudranarayan Mishra, both 20 years old from Jagatsinghpur District, were part of a group of four friends working at the Tata plant in Duburi, Jajpur. They had ventured to the natural splendour of Chandangiri Hills and Patahara caves to enjoy the holiday. While exploring the scenic area and taking photographs, a misstep led to the fatal incident.
During their photo session near the water stream, the two youths accidentally slipped and fell into the water. Their inability to swim proved costly, as they couldn’t escape the depths.
Despite efforts by locals and rescue teams, their lifeless bodies were recovered after a 20-minute operation led by fire brigade personnel.
The families of the deceased rushed to the scene as news of the tragedy spread. Two surviving friends of the group were left speechless, unable to recount the incident due to the shock.
The tragedy has sparked conversations about the importance of learning life-saving skills like swimming and taking precautions in natural tourist spots to prevent such heartbreaking occurrences.
