Berhampur man falls into open drain, dies

Berhampur: The menace of open drains has returned to haunt residents here as a 55-year-old man drowned after being swept away in an uncovered drain here, Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Mahendra Panigrahi of Kharavela Nagar under Nimakhandi police limits in the city. Locals recovered the body near the drain close to MKCG Medical College and Hospital playground under Baidyanathpur police limits. The incident occurred after the area witnessed torrential rain Wednesday.

Passersby spotted the body floating near MKCG Medical College playground and rushed him to the hospital by auto-rickshaw. Police arrived after being informed of the incident. Photos of the scene went viral on social media, prompting Mahendra’s son Siddhant Panigrahi and other family members to reach the hospital and identify the body. Police said a post-mortem examination will be conducted after the formal inquest. Family members told police that Mahendra had left home on his scooter in the afternoon. Due to heavy rain, the roads were flooded, and he may have failed to notice the open drain.

Police said an investigation is ongoing to establish the exact location of the accident and recover the scooter. This is the second such tragedy in the southern city in less than a year. On August 21 last year, a student returning home from tuition on his bicycle fell into an uncovered drain and drowned after losing sight of the road during heavy rain. His body was recovered the next day. Numerous uncovered drains continue to pose a serious hazard across the city, and neither the Works department nor the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC) has taken adequate measures to address the issue.

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