Orissa: OTV chief reporter Arindam Das died while covering the rescue operation of an elephant that was trapped inside the swirling floodwaters of Mahanadi River near Mundali bridge of Cuttack district on Friday morning. A team of 80 forest officials from two forest divisions of Odisha launched a major operation.
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.
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. 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.