4 drown while taking bath after celebrating Holi in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: In separate incidents, at least four people, including a minor, drowned while taking a bath on Saturday after celebrating Holi across Odisha, police said.

A tourist drowned while bathing in the sea in Puri district, an officer said, adding that the identity of the deceased is yet to be ascertained.

In another incident, a man drowned while bathing in a pond in Kalahandi district.

A 10-year-old boy, the son of a fisherman, drowned while bathing in the sea in Rambha area after celebrating Holi in Ganjam district, the police said.

A youth also drowned in the Mahanadi river in Cuttack district, another officer said. The incident took place near Bhattarika Peeth in Narasinghapur area.

Earlier, the police had deployed guards and fire and emergency service personnel near many water bodies, apprehending drowning incidents during the Holi celebrations.

All the incidents took place in areas where there was no such deployment, police said.