Hirakud reservoir

Sambalpur, June 1: At least five persons from Jharsuguda, who had gone to the Hirakud reservoir to fish, drowned after their boat capsized during a thunderstorm last evening.

A boat mishap in the same reservoir on February 9 had claimed 31 lives.

“Six persons had gone missing. Five bodies have already been recovered and search is on to find the sixth person who was on the same boat,” said Jharsuguda additional district magistrate B.Acharya.

Between 40 and 50 fishermen had gone to fish in the Hirakud reservoir last evening. All of them, except the six, returned to the shore when the storm began.

Subsequently, officials from the district administration, fire brigade, police and Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force rushed to the spot along with local residents to rescue the missing fishermen.

Four bodies were found last evening. The fifth body was fished out today.

Lakhanpur block tehsildar Bhabesh Naik who had been to the spot, said: “Of the five victims, two fishermen belong to Thebra, two more are from Sagarpara and the other person is from Kudabaga village in Lakhanpur block.”

The five whose bodies have been recovered have been identified as Jagannath Dharua and Khusiram Sha of Sagarpali, Tejraj Kalo and his son Bibhuti Bhusan Kalo of Thebra and Purnima Mallick of Kudabaga.

The storm also killed two other persons in Lakhanpur block. A 10-year-old boy, Bibek Seth, died when a tree fell on him at Lakhanpur last evening when he was collecting mangoes.

Another person, Bismbhar Bhoi of Tilia in Lakhanpur block, died when lightning struck him.

Two persons also died in the neighbouring district of Bargarh in the same storm. Ashok Dharua, 45, and his wife Hemakanti Dharua, 40, had gone to Hirakud reservoir to fish last evening.

In Sambalpur district, Prashant Bhoi of Larabira died when lightning struck him last evening.