One Youth Missing After Three Swept Away While Taking Selfie in Mahanadi River in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: A youth went missing and two others were rescued after three young men were swept away in the Mahanadi River near Naraj in Odisha’s Cuttack district while reportedly taking selfies on Sunday evening.

The incident occurred near the Old Bandh area of Naraj when the trio from Machhuabazar locality of Cuttack city had gone to the riverside for an outing. According to reports, the youths slipped into the river accidentally while taking selfies close to the water.

Local residents alerted the ODRAF (Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force) team immediately after witnessing the incident. Rescue operations were launched, and two of the three youths were rescued safely. One youth, identified as 23-year-old Akash Behera of Machhuabazar, remains missing.

Officials said search operations were underway, but fading daylight and rising water levels posed challenges to the rescue efforts.

The incident comes days after a similar mishap was reported in the same stretch of the Mahanadi at Jagatpur’s Khairabridge area, where four youths were swept away while bathing in the river. In that earlier incident, one person was rescued while others drowned.

Authorities have repeatedly warned against venturing into deep or fast-flowing sections of the Mahanadi, especially during the monsoon season when water levels and currents remain unpredictable.

Rescue teams continued search operations as of the time of filing this report.