The tourist, identified as Vishal Oram (24), was reportedly working in the office of the Jharkhand Chief Minister.

Sources said as many as 21 staff from the Jharkhand CMO visited Puri to offer prayers in Shree Jagannath Temple. They stayed in a hotel in Chakratirtha Road.

Oram and his colleagues were bathing in the sea when the mishap took place as he was swept away due to a strong current and drowned. Lifeguards and fire service personnel rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation.

However, he was found dead by the time he was rescued.

A case of unnatural death has been registered at Sea Beach police station and further investigation is underway, the sources added.

Patro, also a former Minister, had been ailing for the last several months and breathed his last at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar this evening, family sources said. He was admitted to the hospital after his health condition deteriorated.

A seven-time MLA, he represented Digapahandi in the present Assembly. Patro had won the Mohana Assembly seat for the first time in 1990. He also served the state as a Minister holding different portfolios.

He had stepped down from the post of Assembly Speaker in June, last year due to health reasons.

Leaders from different political parties and distinguished persons from different spheres rushed to the hospital to pay their last respects to late leader.

The actress was found unconscious at her home at around 7 pm on Thursday evening. She was rushed to the local hospital where doctors declared her dead upon arrival, police said.

A case has been registered in this connection. Police are investigating the reason behind her sudden death. The exact reason behind her death will be ascertained after the arrival of post-mortem reports, police said.

Aparna is known for TV shows like ‘Chandanamazha’, ATmasakhi, Maithili Veendum Varum and Devasparsham. She has also acted in movies like Meghatheertham, Muthugau, Achayans, Kodathi Samaksham Balan Vakil and Kalki.

Aparna is survived by her husband and two children.

The 95-year-old poet was admitted to the hospital on August 4 due old age-related ailments and was later shifted to the ICU as his condition deteriorated.

There was some improvement in his health condition since then but he passed away around 9 pm, SCBMCH emergency officer Bhubanananda Maharna informed.

The bilingual poet from Odisha is known for his collections like Waiting and A Rain of Rites which explore his memories, doubts and life experiences. He is the first Indian writer in English to receive the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1981 for his poem Relationship. In May 2019, he also became the first Indian English poet to become a Fellow of the Sahitya Akademi.

He was conferred with a Padma Shri in 2009 but returned the award in 2015 as a mark of protest against the “growing intolerance” in the country.

Mahapatra was born on October 22, 1928, into a prominent family in Cuttack. He received his early education from Stewart School here and completed MSc in Physics from Patna, Bihar. His career began as a lecturer in physics in 1949 and served at various government colleges in Odisha, including erstwhile Gangadhar Meher College, Sambalpur, BJB College, Bhubaneswar, Fakir Mohan College, Balasore, and Ravenshaw College, Cuttack. He retired from service as a Reader in Physics in 1986. He started his writing career in the late sixties.

Following the emergency landing, he was rushed to a government medical college where he was declared brought dead.

In a statement, DGM, Branding and Communications of KIMS Hospital in Nagpur, Aejaz Shami said that the 62-year-old male passenger was suffering from CKD and tuberculosis and vomited blood on board. He was brought dead to the KIMS hospital and the body was taken to Government Medical College and Hospital for further procedures, he added.

Following the necessary medical procedures and clearance, the flight resumed its journey from Nagpur and to Ranchi.

In a statement, the IndiGo Airline said, “IndiGo flight 6E 5093, operating from Mumbai to Ranchi was diverted to Nagpur due to a medical emergency on board. The passenger was offloaded and was rushed to the hospital for further medical assistance. Unfortunately, the passenger did not survive. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones.”

This came days after an IndiGo pilot, who was assigned to operate a Nagpur-Pune flight (6E135), collapsed at the boarding gate of Nagpur airport and passed away while being taken to a hospital.