: A 13-year-old boy drowned Tuesday while playing in a pond in Sundarapal village in Keonjhar district, a source said.

The deceased was identified as Sai Prasad, son of Sushant Jena from Bishnupur village.

Sai Prasad, a student of Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya in Sundarapal, was staying at a hostel in Jalakalanga about 10 km from his school. With schools closed for Dussehra, he had returned home but was brought back to the hostel by family members Tuesday morning, the source added.

According to the source, Sai went to a nearby pond with two other students. While playing, he accidentally fell into the water and drowned.

Subsequently, local residents alerted Nandipada police and Fire Services personnel from Hatadihi, who rushed to the scene. After an extensive search, his body was recovered.

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