Bhubaneswar: In a tragic incident, senior television journalist Arindam Das working with a local channel drowns while covering an elephant rescue operation in the flooded Mahanadi on Friday.
Arindam and his cameraman Pravat Sinha had accompanied ODRAF personnel in an operation to rescue a tusker trapped in Mahanadi river near Mundali bridge in Cuttack.
ODRAF team in a boat reached nearby the tusker and were trying to direct him to move towards the shore. However, the engine of the boat failed and strong river current pulled the boat down.
Five members from the team were rescued in critical conditions and sent to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. Doctors informed that journalists Arindam was dead by the time he reached the hospital.
Cameraman Pravat and one ODRAF personnel are in critical condition in ICU.
The media fraternity in Odisha are sad with the sudden demise of a dynamic journalist who was always ready to bring out stories braving any risky situations be it cyclone, flood or riots. He became a known face in Odisha after his coverage of Italian national abduction in 2012 where he travelled inside the forests of Kandhamal district. He along with a few other journalist from national and international media met the Maoists leader Sabyasachi Panda.