6 children among 12 dead as Odisha drownings span idol immersion, Karma Puja prep

At least 12 people including six children drowned in six incidents, mostly during the immersion of Ganesh idols in Odisha on Wednesday, police said.

The incidents occurred in Sundergarh, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak and Koraput districts.

While four youth were swept away in a canal during the Ganesh idol immersion ceremony in Jagatsinghpur district, three girls drowned while collecting sand required for Karma Puja in Sundergarh district.

Fire Services personnel pulled the four men, all in their 20s, out of the water and took them to a hospital, where doctors declared them dead, police said.

The deceased were identified as Manojit Swain, Swapnajit Barik, Rashmiranjan Nayak and Jagannath Palei.

Three girls drowned in the Shankh river in Salangabahal village within Raiboga police station limits in Sundergarh district, police said.

The deceased were Geetika Sahu (6), Sibika Sahu (6) and Sruti Sahu (8), all residents of Majhatoli.

Their bodies were sent for postmortem, a police officer said.

In the third incident, two 14-year-old students drowned in the Ghodahad river while taking part in the immersion of a Ganesh idol in Ganjam district, police said.

The deceased have been identified as Adarsh Sahu and Preetam Sameli, residents of the Hinjilicut Municipality area.

Both boys had gone to the river along with others for the immersion when they accidentally slipped into deep water and drowned, locals said.

In another incident in the same district, a class 8 student drowned in a village pond within Digapahandi police station limits while immersing a Ganesh idol around 10 am.

The boy, identified as Sitanshu Jena, was taken out of the water and taken to Digapahandi hospital where doctors declared him dead.

Two others also drowned in Bhadrak and Koraput districts, police said.