Cuttack: In a tragic incident, two sisters drowned after accidentally slipping into river while plucking flowers for 'Khudurukuni Osha' at Safipur village under Kishannagar Police limits in Jagatsinghpur district on Sunday. The deceased have been identified as Sujata Das and Suman Das.
As per reports, Sujata and Suman along with another girl had gone to pluck flowers on the banks of Sukupaika River early morning when the trio reportedly slipped into the river. Sujata and Suman went missing while Sunita somehow managed to save herself.
The matter came to light after Sunita raised an alarm and other villagers rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation.
On getting information, fire brigade officials rushed to spot and immediately took the two girls to nearby Raghunathpur Hospital after rescuing them. However, the two girls were declared brought dead by doctors at the hospital, sources said.
As per the government reports, drowning deaths have been rising every year. As many as 2,700 persons died in between 2015 and July 2019. Of them, 240 persons have been swept away in floodwater in last eight years.
It is seen that ignoring caution signage put up near rivers, people often take bath leading to drowning deaths most of the time.
“We are bathing at our own risk and carefully in the river though a signage has been put by the administration asking people not to enter the water,” said Bijaya Sahu, a resident in Cuttack.
“An awareness among public must be created. Due to carelessness the drowning deaths are happening mostly. For instance, people do not know how to swim, but still they take bath in rivers,” said Pravat Ranjan Mohapatra, Deputy Relief Commissioner.
“In Puri, trained lifeguards have been deployed at the beach. Following this, drowning deaths have been minimised. Also, they are also creating an awareness among public,” added Mohapatra.