Overview

• Two engineers, Rutikesh Matal and Rutik Bhonje, both in their mid-20s from Maharashtra, drowned in the Kathajodi River on May 18 while bathing near their construction site.
• One engineer slipped into deep water, and the other drowned attempting a rescue; both were employed by a private firm renovating the SCB Medical College and Hospital campus.
• The bodies were recovered by a joint effort of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and local police, with the second body retrieved early on May 19.
• Post-mortem examinations were conducted at SCB Medical College, and the victims’ families have been informed, with arrangements for the handover of remains underway.
• Authorities have urged caution near riverbanks during the pre-monsoon period, citing unpredictable currents and a recent rise in drowning incidents across Odisha.