KalingaTV News Network
Bhubaneswar: In a tragic incident, a minor girl died and three others went missing when a country boat they were travelling in capsized in Chilika lagoon of Odisha late this afternoon. At least 12 others have been rescued.
The deceased minor girl has been identified as Sradhanjali Das. Two among the twelve rescued persons have been referred to Bhubaneswar as their condition is stated to be critical.
As per sources, all the tourists belong to Ranapur area of Nayagarh district.
The boat in which the tourists had gone to celebrate Raja in Kalijai temple, capsized in the middle of the lake while returning to Balugaon, buffeted by strong winds and rains. All the rescued persons were admitted to Balugaon Community Health Centre (CHC) initially. It is not clear if the tourists were on a licensed boat and were wearing life jackets on board.
A team of at least 40 personnel comprising of fire officers, ODRAF, naval academy members, police and boatmen from the lake are carrying on search for others. Search operation was on when reports last came in.
Meanwhile Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has expressed grief over the death of the child and has directed SRC, Khordha and Ganjam district administration to expedite rescue operation. He further directed to provide free medical treatment to the injured.
Notably, 4 persons were killed when an overloaded boat carrying 29 passengers capsized in Chilika in December, 2016.
Kalinga AI