28-Year-Old Missing After Water Level Suddenly Rose
Key Points:
- Pradyumna Pradhan swept away while bathing at Ranjad check dam
- Two of six companions rescued themselves as current turned strong
- NDRF team joins villagers and divers in extended search operation
RAJNAGAR – A 28-year-old man went missing on Tuesday after being swept away by a sudden surge in water flow while bathing at a check dam between Ranjad and Chotakanki villages here. The missing youth has been identified as Pradyumna Pradhan, son of Kapoor Pradhan, a resident of Ranjad.
According to locals, Pradhan had gone to the check dam to bathe, as he did every day, after dropping schoolchildren off in a vehicle earlier in the day. He was among six young men who had gone to the spot, with Pradhan and two others entering the water while three companions remained on the bank.
The water level in the check dam rose abruptly during the bathing session, and the sudden current threw Pradhan off balance. He was pulled under and swept away within moments, while the other two youths managed to swim to safety despite the strong flow.
Villagers rushed to the site as news of the incident spread and began searching the check dam and the surrounding river stretch. Circle Officer Shravan Kumar Jha reached the spot, and divers were called in to assist with the search.
“No trace of the missing youth had been found by late evening despite prolonged search efforts,” officials said, adding that a team from the National Disaster Response Force had joined the operation after the extended search by villagers and divers yielded no results. The check dam lies in the same stretch that has seen repeated flood alerts this season, with the Kharkai and Sanjay rivers reported in spate earlier this month and heavy rain having disrupted commuter routes in the district. The area has also seen other recent tragedies, including the deaths of two children from snakebite in a nearby village.
