The body of a youth missing after a car plunged into the Birupa river was recovered on Thursday morning, a day after the vehicle veered off the IB Road stretch near Pandasahi under Jagatpur police station limits in Cuttack. The car, which was travelling to Cuttack from Bhubaneswar late on Wednesday night, fell nearly 50 feet into the river, leaving one person dead and another critically injured.

The deceased has been identified as Atul, also known as Udit Narayan Sahu, from Lingipur under Dhauli police station in Bhubaneswar. His friend, Anshuman Panda, also from Lingipur, managed to come out of the car, swim to a distance before he was rescued by youths from Nimapur Basti. He was admitted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack in critical condition, reportedly.

As per reports, a group of five friends had travelled together; however, only Udit and Anshuman were inside the car when it skidded off the road. As per Anshuman’s statement, Udit was driving the vehicle and was still inside when it went underwater, while he himself escaped through the sunroof.

Rescue Teams' Response

Rescue team personnel stated that, based on their assessment, it was probable that only one individual was inside the vehicle at the time of the accident.

Rescue teams from Tangi, Choudwar and Chauliaganj fire stations, along with ODRAF personnel and scuba divers, worked for nearly five hours to locate the vehicle and pull it out of the river. However, when the car was retrieved, Udit was not found inside. A fresh search operation was scheduled to resume on Thursday.

The condition of the vehicle raised questions for the rescue teams. All doors were found shut and the sunroof closed, contradicting the survivor’s statement of using it to escape. The driver’s side window was slightly rolled down, but rescue personnel described the gap as too small for anyone to exit through.

One rescuer said, “All doors of the car were shut. When we looked for the body, it was not there. Even when the car was pulled out, there was no body inside it. Had the door been open, we could assume the other person might have drowned, but with doors shut, it is not possible. We are assuming there was only one person who has already been rescued.”

A Fire Department inspector added, “All the doors were shut, and the sunroof was closed as well. The driver’s side window was open slightly but not enough for someone to have gotten out of the vehicle.”

Also Read: Car plunges into Birupa River in Cuttack; one rescued, search on for another

Eyewitnesses stated that the four-wheeler was travelling at high speed before falling into the river, though they could not confirm how many people were inside at the time of the incident. The car, submerged in deeper water, was located with difficulty, with its headlights providing limited visibility underwater, as sources said.