Balasore Tragedy: Two Schoolboys Drown in Suna River Amid Illegal Sand Mining Hazards
Balasore district witnessed a heart‑wrenching tragedy on Tuesday when two schoolboys drowned in the Suna River at Pundal village under Nilgiri police limits.
The victims were identified as Akash (11), son of Laxmidhar Mahalik and a Class VI student, and Kartik (14), son of Pradeep Behera and a Class IX student.
According to locals, the boys, along with other children, had gone to bathe at the temple ghat after eating jamun fruits.
They slipped into deep pits formed by illegal sand mining and drowned.
Villagers searched for hours before recovering the bodies.
Fire services, police, and ambulances rushed to the spot, and the boys were declared dead at Fakir Mohan Medical College in Remuna.
Post‑mortems were conducted at Balasore District Headquarters Hospital, after which the bodies were handed over to their families.
Residents expressed anger over unchecked sand mining, which has dangerously altered the riverbed.
They recalled a recent near‑drowning of a girl at the same ghat and noted that 5–7 lives have already been lost in similar incidents.
The tragedy occurred during summer vacation, when children often gather at the river, raising urgent concerns about safety and enforcement.
