A tragic incident occurred today at the Benapura Baruni Ghat on the Subarnarekha River under Santoshpur panchayat in Basta block in Baleshwar district, where a tourist drowned while taking a bath in the river.
The deceased has been identified as 48-year-old Ashok Kumar Pathak, a resident of the Nayanpara area in Uttar Pradesh.
According to sources, Pathak was traveling to Puri by bus along with his family on a pilgrimage. On the way, the bus stopped near the Subarnarekha river ghat around 8 AM to allow passengers to freshen up and bathe. While bathing, Pathak inadvertently stepped into deep water and was swept away.
Local residents attempted to rescue him but were unsuccessful. They immediately notified the Basta Fire Services. Fire service personnel rushed to the scene and, after an intensive two-hour search and rescue operation, retrieved Pathak’s body from the water.
Basta Police have taken custody of the body and sent it to the Basta Community Health Centre (CHC) for a post-mortem examination. Police have registered a case of unnatural death and initiated an investigation into the incident.
