An eight-year-old boy died after he was swept away in an open drain that was flooded because of heavy rain that affected Bhubaneswar on Tuesday afternoon.

The victim has been identified as S. K. Rajesh.

The incident happened at the Masjid area in Unit 3 of Bhubaneswar amid torrential rainfall on Tuesday. “S.K. Rajesh saw a balloon floating in the rainwater. He was chasing to catch it, fell in the open drain nearby and was swept away in the strong current,” said a resident.

Accompanied by locals, the members of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force made a search to rescue the child. He was rescued in a critical condition from the Laxmisagar area, about four kilometres from the accident spot. He was admitted to the hospital but was later pronounced dead.

“Had the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) done the work of putting slabs on the open drain, the life of the boy would have been saved.”

The city experienced a power cut in many areas and the Internet service was also affected.

Expressing his condolences, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced an ex gratia of ₹4 lakh to the family of the deceased.