Bhubaneswar, March 20: An engineering student drowned in the Deras dam located inside the Chandaka-Dampada sanctuary on the outskirts of the city today while taking a bath with friends.

The student was identified as 23-year-old Satya Ranjan Nayak, a student of a private engineering college at Chandrasekharpur.

Nayak, who hailed from Rameswarpatna in Dhenkanal district, was studying in the fourth year of a bachelor degree in electronics and telecommunications here.

He was found dead when local residents and forest officials recovered his body after searching for more than half an hour.

He had gone to another engineering college in Chandaka area this afternoon, from where he had accompanied some friends to Deras dam which is located a few kilometres away.

While his friends were sitting on the dam’s embankment, he dared to venture inside and drowned within no time.

“We were sitting as we saw him slip and drown. But, we could do nothing. We shouted for help and local residents and forest officers rushed to his rescue. But he could not be traced for more than half an hour. At last, when his body was recovered, he was no more alive,” said a friend of the deceased.

Later, Chandaka police seized the body and registered a case of unnatural death. When we were informed the boy was already dead. The body has been sent for a post-mortem,” said inspector in charge of Chandaka police station Gangadhar Dalei.

The youth’s family members were informed about his death.

A senior forest official said that the eco-development committee, which has been formed by the forest department with the help of local residents, was instructed to erect boards to caution tourists and picnickers not to venture in restricted water bodies.

As the reservoir is formed in an uneven area to hold up the run-off water from the nearby hills, the picnickers will be told not to venture into the water body.

Divisional forest officer of Chandaka-Dampada sanctuary S.N. Mohapatra said though visitors were instructed not to venture into the water bodies, some did not pay heed.

Youth missing

A second-year commerce student of BJB College is missing after stepped into Bhargavi river near Balakati on the outskirts of the city today.

The youth identified as Sahashranshu Mangaraj, 20, a resident of Tankapani Road, had gone with his friends to take a bath in the river when he went missing.

A fire brigade team has launched a search operation for Mangaraj.