Rourkela: Three youths were swept away today afternoon while taking a bath in Tarkera Dam under Raghunathpali police limits in Rourkela of Sundargarh district. One of them was later rescued and the bodies of two more were fished out from the water following a frantic search.

Two deceased were identified as Rajkumar Mahato who belonged to the Lal Building locality and Zareeb Khan who belonged to the Chhend locality. The rescued youth was identified as Bhubesh Prasad.

According to a source, three youths who happen to be friends had gone to a Ghat of Tarkera dam on Brahmani river to take a bath. The trio was swept away one after another and went missing. Some locals noticed this and informed fire services personnel.

“Three youths were shooting reels on a mobile phone and were swept away,” an eyewitness said.

A team of local fire services personnel reached the spot and launched a rescue operation.

“We got information at around 3.30 PM and immediately two units from Panposh and Rourkela were pressed into service. The bodies of two youths have been recovered,” a fire officer said.

On being informed, a team of Raghunathpali police reached the spot and launched a probe. Police have seized the bodies and sent them to Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) for post-mortem.