On Friday (September 24), OTV chief reporter Arindam Das died while covering the rescue operation of an elephant that was stuck in the overflowing Mahanadi river near Cuttack, Odisha.
As per reports, an elephant was stuck in the Mahanadi river at the Mundali barrage in the city. An operation was launched by Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) team to rescue the elephant from the river, as it was stranded amidst the high-speed river current, terrified and unable to escape.
In a tweet, journalist Siba Mohanty informed, “A swollen Mahanadi river and a sub-adult #elephant caught in its current, near Cuttack city. Forest teams are on the spot, coordinating rescue of the jumbo. Other members of the herd swum through to Chandaka forests.”
A swollen Mahanadi river and a sub adult #elephant caught in its current, near Cuttack city. Forest teams are on the spot, coordinating rescue of the jumbo. Other members of the herd swum through to Chandaka forests #Odisha @NewIndianXpress @XpressOdisha pic.twitter.com/xHPOwn5zTz
— Siba Mohanty (@Siba_TNIE) September 24, 2021
Arindam Das along with cameraman Prabhat Sinha had boarded a boat and followed the ORDAF team to cover the rescue mission. However, the boat was capsized by the strong river current. The duo was swept away and it was too late before they could be recovered. A rescue operation was launched to save the OTV employees. Siba Mohanty had shared visuals of the overturned boat and the rescue operation in another tweet.
A rescue ops team which was deployed below Munduli Bridge to help the trapped #elephant ran into trouble after the boat overturned. The members were lifted out of the water @NewIndianXpress @XpressOdisha pic.twitter.com/FAcTr9rugk
— Siba Mohanty (@Siba_TNIE) September 24, 2021
Das and Sinha were admitted to the SCB Medical College and hospital in Cuttack. Despite the best efforts of the doctors, the Chief reporter of OTV did not survive. His aide, Prabhat Sinha, is said to be in a critical condition.
Arindam Das was a familiar face in Odisha, often seen on TV covering ground reports. His death has come as a tragic loss to the media community in the state. Many political leaders and prominent persons have shared condolence messages on social media.
