Girl falls into Mahanadi River, swims to submerged temple in Odisha’s Jharsuguda, watch

19 Dec 2025, 11:00 by Himanshu · KalingaTV

Jharsuguda: In a rare incident, a girl fell into the Mahanadi River from the Rampela Bridge connecting Jharsuguda and Sambalpur in Odisha on Friday but later managed to save herself by swimming for about 80 meter and climbing onto temple inside the Mahanadi River. The Banharpali police and local fishermen rescued her with the help of a boat.

The girl, identified as Savitri Meher of Itabhata in Brajrajnagar area, was taken to a local hospital after rescue and is reported to be stable.

The temple, located within the Hirakud reservoir’s backwater, was part of a village submerged when the Hirakud dam was constructed. Villagers were displaced and resettled by the government. The temple, visited by devotees before 1958, now stands within the water.

Watch the video here:

Girl falls into Mahanadi River, swims to submerged temple in Odisha’s Jharsuguda, watch

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