Kid swept away in Nullah, missing

BHUBANESWAR: A two-and-a-half-year-old girl was swept away in a nullah which was overflowing after the afternoon showers on Sunday. She could not be traced even though the fire-fighters launched a search and rescue operation in the area. The incident occurred in Patharabandha slums near VSS Nagar at around 3 pm. The girl, locals said, was playing near the nullah when the storm water flow swelled all of a sudden after the heavy showers. The toddler Biswajita Behera got caught in the water current and was swept away. Locals launched a frantic search and the Fire Station at Chandrasekharpur was intimated. A team conducted an operation but to no avail. With the sunset, it became tough even for the fire-fighters to trace the little girl although efforts were continuing. “We are apprehending the worst since she was just a kid and unlikely to survive the current in the nullah but search operation will continue for a few more hours,” a fire official said. A pall of gloom descended on the slum as the parents of the girl were inconsolable.