Jadugora (East Singhbhum), April 20: Jagatram Tudu, a former employee of UCIL, was known to be a good swimmer. But his skill couldn?t save him.

He was swallowed by the river, which he worshiped everyday after taking bath, when one of the sluice gates of a barrage owned by public sector Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) opened suddenly this morning.

Tudu?s body was found in the Subarnarekha river near Dibri village at Galudih.

Tudu, along with Jagannath Patro and Budhu Karmakar, all residents of Mechua village under Potka block, had gone to the river to bathe at around 6.30 am.

Patro, 40, said, ?We were enjoying our bath when we heard a strange sound near one of the sluice gates. It sounded like a machine being switched on. Suddenly, the sluice gate opened and took us by surprise,? he added.

Patro said the sluice gate opened at 7 am. ?We usually take our bath near the sluice gates never thinking that such a tragedy would happen,? he said. Patro said he and Karmakar managed to hold on to rocks scattered all over the river. ?But Tudu went hurtling downstream by the strong undercurrents of water.?

?He was out of sight within a minute. He must have suffered multiple fractures because of the rocky terrain,? he added.

Karmakar, who works at a music centre in Jadugoda, said he was dragged for about half a kilometre by the water. ?I was saved when I bumped against a rock. I clasped it with all my strength as waves continued to strike me hard. It was a nightmarish experience,? the 27-year-old said. Both Patro and Karmakar sustained minor injuries.

Patro said, ?Tudu was a good swimmer. We felt safe with him while going to the river to bathe.? He added that Tudu, who had opted for voluntary retirement scheme about two years ago, had negotiated almost all rivers and streams of East Singhbhum.

The body will be sent for post-mortem tomorrow.

Unconfirmed reports said at least five persons are missing after the incident, the first to have taken place here. The JMM has demanded compensation from the UCIL for the deceased?s family.

UCIL chairman-cum-managing director Ramendra Gupta, company secretary P.V. Dubey, CISF commandant Arvind Mahajan and police reached the spot soon after the incident.

A truck was damaged when the water flowed in after opening of the sluice gate. Labourers were loading mud from the river when waves sent the truck hurtling down for about a kilometre. ?The truck tumbled at least 12 times before turning turtle,? eye-witnesses said, adding that the labourers and the truck driver had a miraculous escape.

The captive barrage, which gets water from the Ghurra river, has five sluice gates. The UCIL uses the barrage to supply water to Jadugora township. There are five sluices gates, which are operated mechanically, at the barrage. Ghurra river flows from the barrage before meeting the Subarnarekha, located some 7 kms from Jadugora.

?Whistle is blown thrice before opening of the sluice gates but it wasn?t so this morning,? eye-witnesses said. They added that the sluice gate was shut down about half-an-hour after the incident.

But by then, a huge amount of water had gushed into the river.