Ganesh Puja celebrations in Odisha were marked by tragedies on Wednesday as a 14-year-old student and a 35-year-old teacher died in separate incidents in Balasore and Keonjhar districts, police said.
In Balasore, a class 9 student identified as Priyanshu Pritam collapsed while dancing with friends at Radhamadhaba Jew High School in Podasul under Nilagiri police limits during the Ganesh Puja celebrations, police further stated.
He was taken to a Nilagiri government hospital but was declared dead by the doctors. His family stated that he had a history of cardiac issues.
In a separate incident at the Government Upper Primary School at Saleikena in Keonjhar district, an assistant teacher identified as Chandan Kumar Jena collapsed suddenly while offering flowers to a Ganesh idol.
Though he was also rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was declared brought dead by the doctors. The exact cause of his death is yet to be ascertained, police added.
Jena, a native of Antarei village under Bhograi block in Balasore district, is survived by his wife and a three-year-old daughter.
