NDRF carries search operation for missing Jamshedpur teenagers

Jamshedpur: A 30-member team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been deployed to Ashangi in the RIT thana area of Adityapur to search for the bodies of two teenagers who drowned in an under-construction check-dam along the Kharkai River on Sunday afternoon.

The victims, identified as 15-year-olds Aditya Mahto and Sumeet Modi, were among a group of five boys who went swimming in the check-dam. According to reports, while bathing in the water body, Aditya and Sumeet were caught in a strong current and swept away to a deep area of the dam. Despite the efforts of the NDRF team, which arrived from Ranchi this morning, neither of the bodies had been recovered by noon.

RIT thana OC Vinay Kumar Singh confirmed that the NDRF team has been working diligently using boats and other equipment, but as of early afternoon, their efforts had yet to locate the missing teenagers. “The NDRF team is making every possible effort to find the bodies,” Singh stated.

The incident unfolded when a group of five boys from Ichapur in Adityapur went to the Ashingi check-dam to swim. As they entered the water, Aditya and Sumeet were overwhelmed by the strong currents and drifted away. The remaining boys witnessed the tragic event but were unable to intervene and could only call for help. They later returned home to inform their parents about the incident.

The news of the drowning quickly spread through the densely populated Ichapur, causing significant distress among the families of the victims. Local officials, including RIT thana OC, Gamharia CO Kamal Kishore Singh, former AMC vice chairman Purendra Narayan Singh, and former local corporator Dhiren Mahto, arrived at the scene. Initially, local divers were employed to conduct the search, but their efforts proved unsuccessful by the evening.

In response to the ongoing difficulties, the administration sought assistance from the NDRF team based in Ranchi, who are now leading the search and rescue operations. The community remains hopeful that the search efforts will soon bring closure to the families of the two young boys.