9 dead, 7 rescued after 14 drowning incidents reported across Odisha

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], September 17 (ANI): Nine people have died and seven others were rescued after 14 drowning incidents were reported across Odisha in the last 24 hours, the Odisha Fire and Emergency Services Department said on Thursday.
According to the department, the incidents were reported from Hinjalikatu in the Ganjam district, Sundargarh, Bhadrak, Koraput and Kalahandi districts.
Rescue teams responded to the incidents and successfully rescued seven people, who were subsequently hospitalised. Nine bodies were recovered, while search operations were underway for one person reported missing, the department said.
In Jagatsinghpur district, a search and rescue operation was launched near Odanala in Gopalpur, Ersama, after three people were reported missing in the river.
The Ersama Fire Station team conducted a search operation at the site to locate the missing persons. Four bodies were recovered following a drowning incident during Ganesh idol immersion, while search operations in the area are still underway, according to the department.
The incidents occurred during Ganesh Visarjan ceremonies across the state.
The fatalities have prompted reactions from Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, and Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das, who expressed condolences to the bereaved families.
The authorities have continued search and rescue operations at the locations where people remain missing. (ANI)