Bhubaneswar: A woman has gone missing after being swept away by the Ib River in the Sundaragada district on Thursday. The incident occurred at the Kanhakonda tourist area, popularly referred to as the Grand Canyon of Odisha, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Talsara police station.

As of Friday, search efforts led by the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and the Fire Department have entered their second day, yet there have been no signs of the missing woman.

The individual missing has been identified as Prajnashree Paramita Purohit Panda, a local social worker residing near Women’s College in Sundargada town.

Reports indicate that Prajnashree visited Balishankara Kanhakonda on Thursday afternoon with family members, including her brother Raj, sister Itishree Purohit, and her husband. While at the river, she lost her footing on the rocky riverbed and was carried away by the strong currents, and has not been seen since.

This incident has sent shockwaves through the Sundaragada community. Although the Fire Brigade initiated a search operation in the river immediately following the accident, no evidence regarding her location has been discovered thus far.

Residents have expressed concerns that similar tragedies frequently occur at this picnic spot. They note that despite local authorities prohibiting access to the area due to safety risks, accidents continue to happen.