Forest department employee's body recovered after 34-hour search in Kandhamal
Pramod Behera was swept away by floodwaters while travelling on a scooter near Phulbani Municipality.
Fire Services personnel recovered the decomposed body of Pramod Behera, an Odisha Forest Department employee, on Tuesday in the Kandhamal district. Behera had been missing for nearly 34 hours after being swept away by floodwaters, according to reports by Pragativadi and Kalinga TV.
The incident occurred when Behera and his colleague, Srikant Behera, were riding a scooter through heavy rain. As they crossed the Dam Bridge near Dakapala Sahi in Ward No. 2 of Phulbani Municipality, the swollen river overflowed the bridge and knocked both men into the water.
While Srikant Behera managed to swim to the riverbank, Behera was overwhelmed by the current and went missing. Local residents alerted the authorities following the accident.
Rescue teams moved the injured Srikant Behera to the Phulbani District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) for medical care. Search teams then began looking for Behera along the river's path.
After a search operation that lasted approximately 34 hours, personnel found Behera's body under the Patabali Sahi bridge. Local authorities have sent the body for an autopsy and are investigating the circumstances of the accident.