The body of the third minor boy, who along with his two other friends was swept away in Mahanadi river near Jobra in Cuttack on Sunday, was fished out today.
The deceased has been identified as Md Sadif. ODRAF personnel reportedly found the body floating near Gurudwara.
“When we were continuing the search operation this morning for the third day on the trot, we came to know from some locals that a body was floating near Gurudwara. We immediately rushed to the spot and fished out the body,” said ODRAF team leader, Prashant Kumar Dehury.
“The body was handed over to the police and subsequently, it was sent for postmortem,” said Dehury.
Meanwhile, locals demanded deployment of lifeguards near the ghat. “Many people are drowning in Mahanadi due to the absence of lifeguards. We urge the administration to deploy lifeguards near the ghat," said Dasaratha Shukla, a local.
"People taking birth in the river should be warned not to go deep into the river. The lifeguards could also save people from drowning by rescuing them in time,” said Shukla.
The three minor boys from Charigharia area were swept away while bathing in Mahanadi due to strong current in the river on April 10.
Some locals jumped into the river and managed to rescue one of the boys in critical condition but the two others went missing. Later, the rescued boy Sahil was declared dead by doctors at the SCB Medical College and Hospital. The body of another boy identified as Ayur Khan was fished out of the river on Monday.
(Edited by Pradeep Singh)