Bhubaneswar: A 75-year-old man drowned while taking bath in a pond in Birmaharajpur area of Odisha’s Sonepur district today.

The deceased has been identified as Uddhav Pradhan of Bharatapur in Sambalpur district.

Uddhav along with his wife Malati had come to Kardapal village under Birmaharajpur police limits in Sonepur yesterday to meet their son-in-law, who is suffering from some kidney-related diseases.

The elderly couple went to take bath in a pond at Kardapal around the noon today. Uddhav drowned after he slipped his feet while bathing in the pond. Malati too turned critical while trying to save her husband, sources said.

On being informed, the Fire Brigade personnel reached the village and launched a rescue operation. Uddhav was declared dead at a hospital at Birmaharajpur while the condition of Malati is stated to be stable.

“We have registered a case of unnatural death and handed over the body to the bereaved family after conducting a postmortem,” said Birmaharajpur Inspector In-Charge Rajeswari Bhoi.