Two persons, including a girl, drowned while three others were rescued in separate incidents in Ganjam district on Sunday.
A minor girl went missing while three others were rescued from the Rushikulya river at Kanjiama village under the Hinjili police station in the morning.
According to reports, four girls had gone to the river to collect holy water for performing Khudurukuni Puja on the day. While fetching water, the girls slipped into deep water and were swept away by a strong current. Locals who were present raised an alarm, following which Fire Services personnel reached the spot and rescued three of the girls while another was yet to be traced. Search operation was underway to trace the other girl, said a fire official.
In a separate incident, a 38-year-old man drowned while returning to his village Chadhiapalli from Ambapua crossing river Badanadi at around in the morning. The deceased was identified as Raj Kishore Lenka, an electricity lineman.