CM terms boat tragedy saviour sister duo ‘real heroes of Odisha’

Bhubaneswar: Showering praises on Sasmita Giri and her sister Purnima Giri, who had saved around ten persons, including two women and some children when a boat capsized in Mahanadi river mouth near Nipania in Kendrapara district on Wednesday.

“They (Sasmita and Purnima) are the real heroes of Odisha and represent the bravery and compassion of young Odisha,” said a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office.

The two minor sisters hogged limelight across the State on Tuesday and became the talk of the town for putting their life in danger and managed to drag over 10 passengers to safety in a winter night.

Also Read: This sister duo turned saviour during Odisha boat tragedy

Earlier, the Chief Minister announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased. As many as ten people were killed in the mishap.

The ill-fated country boat was carrying 55 passengers more than its capacity when the incident took place. All the passengers had gone to the lighthouse area at Hukitola for a picnic. The mishap took place while they were returning Kujang area of Paradip between 6.30 pm-7 pm.