Tourist drowns to death while taking bath at Odisha’s Puri beach; probe on

Puri: A youth met his watery grave today while he was taking a bath at Puri beach.

The deceased was identified as 24-year-old Bishal Oram, who belonged to Ranchi city of Jharkhand. Bishal was working in the Office of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

According to police sources, as many as 21 tourists from the CM’s Office had come to Puri and were staying in a private hospitality facility at Chakratirtha locality. The tourists were taking a bath in the sea near Hotel Shankar International in the afternoon when the fatal mishap occurred.

Bishal lost control of him in the current and slipped deep into the water, the policeman said.

On being informed about it by Bishal’s colleagues, a team of local police reached the spot. Later, a few lifeguards and fire services personnel launched a frantic search to locate the youth and fished him out of the water after striving for some time. Police have seized Bishal’s body and initiated a probe.

“We have registered an unnatural death (U/d) case in this connection and an investigation is underway,” a senior official of Sea Beach police station expressed.