An elderly tourist from Uttar Pradesh drowned while bathing in the Subarnarekha River in Odisha’s Balasore district on Saturday, according to police.
In a separate mishap, two minors hailing from Balasore went missing while swimming in the same river near the Sekhbadi area, authorities reported.
The deceased has been identified as 62-year-old Ashok Pathak, a resident of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.
The drowning incident occurred when a group of tourists travelling toward Puri halted their journey at Rajghat along the riverbank to bathe, a police officer stated.
Pathak slipped into the water and was carried away by the strong currents, an officer noted.
Fire services along with Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) personnel launched a search effort, retrieving his body after a two-hour search operation, he said.
In the second incident, two boys, aged 15 and 11, went missing while taking a bath in the Subarnarekha River near Sekhbadi, the official said.
A third boy who was accompanied by the duo managed to swim back to the shore safely.
Rescue teams have initiated a search operation to locate the missing minors, he added.
