Missing Case / Missing Youth's Body Recovered From Daya River After Overnight Search by Fire Services

Bhubaneswar, Sep 6: The body of a missing youth was recovered from the Daya river at around 11 am on Sunday after an extensive search operation by the Fire Services personnel, a source said.

The deceased was identified as Bhabani Shankar Khatei, a resident of Barik Sahi in Bhubaneswar’s Old Town area, who had gone missing after jumping into the river from the Tankapani Bridge late Saturday night, the source added.

Youth Jumped Into River
Bhabani was working as a delivery executive for Flipkart. According to his relative Shubham Sahoo, he had an argument with family members before suddenly leaving home on Saturday.

According to the source, Bhabani had reached the Tankapani Bridge between around 10:30 pm and 11 pm on Saturday. His friends later spotted him near the bridge.

Shubham said Bhabani jumped from the bridge after seeing his friends.

"He parked his scooter, climbed onto the bridge and jumped into the river before anyone could intervene", Subham said.

Also Read: Rider Dies After Falling Off Rasulgarh Flyover In Bhubaneswar; Police Launch Probe

Fire Services Launched Overnight Search
After receiving information about the incident, teams from the Balianta and Bhubaneswar fire stations reached the spot and launched a search operation.

The search operation continued for several hours, with rescuers working both underwater and on the surface. A seven-member Fire Services team led by fire officer Gobinda Prasad Jena took part in the operation. The team comprised two scuba divers and five Fire Services personnel.

While the scuba divers searched the deeper stretches of the river underwater, Fire Services personnel on the surface used iron hooks to locate the missing youth.

The river was reportedly around 30 feet deep beneath the bridge at some stretches, while the depth was around 20 feet at other locations. The search was conducted across nearly two kilometres, from Tankapani Bridge to the Balakati Bridge.

Personnel searched the river for nearly four hours late Saturday night but could not locate Bhabani. The operation resumed on Sunday morning and continued for more than three hours before his body was eventually recovered.

The circumstances leading to the incident remain unclear. Bhabani’s family has not publicly disclosed what prompted him to take the extreme step.

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