Bhubaneswar, Sept. 17: A fun Sunday bath turned tragic for two teenage boys in Rourkela with of them drowning in the Brahmani river.

Rescue teams are conducting a search operation for the other boy, who was washed away.

Rourkela fire officer Partha Sarathi Sahu said: 'We have fished out the body of a boy, identified as Pratyush Barik, from the Brahmani river. A search operation is on to trace the other boy, Anshuman Behera.'

'We have extended the search dive up to the Tarkera dam, where the water is very deep. Local boatmen and Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force teams are busy searching for the missing boy. Kansar Ghat and its nearby locations are the major locations the rescue teams are focussing on.'

Four boys, all in the 12-13 age group, from the city's Chhend Colony had gone to the river for a bath this morning. They were Pradyush Barik, Ansuman Behera, and his younger brother Panchanan. Police are yet to ascertain the name of the fourth boy.

They reached the bank of the river near Grihasthi factory opposite Vedvyas Temple between 11am and 12noon, according to a local resident. 'The river is very dangerous and unpredictable at this location. Probably, they were unaware of this fact,' said Amar Pradhan, a resident.

The boys lost their balance and started to drown. The fourth boy, whose identity is not yet known, managed to save himself. The other three continued to drown. Hearing their cries for help, local residents jumped into the river and managed to save Panchanan.

Though the place where the boys got into the river is dangerous, there is no sign to warn people. Pradhan said: 'The administration should take steps to make the place safe by putting up cautionary boards.'

Bus turns turtle

A passenger bus overturned near Bonai in Sundargarh district on Sunday, killing a motrocyclist and injuring 10 others. The bus turned turtle while trying to save the biker.