Koraput School Teacher Goes Missing After Boat Capsizes in Kolab Reservoir

Koraput, Sep 24: A 45-year-old schoolteacher went missing after a country boat carrying him and a friend capsized in the backwaters of the Kolab reservoir in Odisha’s Koraput district on Thursday morning amid heavy rainfall, officials said.

The teacher was identified as Bhimadhar Nayak (45) of Bandhaguda village under Padmapur panchayat, informed Koraput Tehsildar Sayeed Sabir Saha.

According to the Tehsildar, Nayak and his friend had ventured into the reservoir around 7.30 AM for fishing. The boat overturned while they were pulling in a net, throwing both men into the water.

“His friend managed to swim to safety, but Nayak was swept away by strong currents,” Saha said.

After getting information, An Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) team rushed to the spot launched a search operation to trace the missing teacher, district emergency officer Swaranjita Mahi said.

The incident occurred against the backdrop of intense rainfall triggered by a deep depression over the region. Semiliguda recorded 193.9 mm of rainfall between 8 AM Wednesday and 8 AM Thursday, the highest in the state during the period. The area had also received 230.2 mm of rain in the preceding 24 hours, underscoring the severity of the weather conditions.
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Despite the heavy downpour, officials said there were no reports of deaths, injuries or major traffic disruptions elsewhere in the district. However, uprooted roadside trees were reported from Borigumma, Narayanpatna and Pottangi, prompting fire services and ODRAF teams to clear affected stretches.

Koraput District Collector Manoj Satyawan Mahajan said the situation was under control, with officials kept on high alert to prevent any untoward incident. “Traffic movement has not been affected in any part of the district,” he added.

Meanwhile, Odisha Minister Rabi Narayan Naik reached Koraput to review the rain situation and hold meetings with district officials.

The search for the missing teacher was continuing when the last reports came in.