A major mishap was averted on Kartika Purnima as a boat carrying devotees capsized in the Mahanadi River near Kandarpur village under the Athagarh police limits in Cuttack district on Wednesday evening.

The devotees were returning from the sacred Shaiva shrine located on an island in the middle of the river after attending the Kartik Purnima fair at Amangeikuda when the boat overturned close to the riverbank.

According to eyewitnesses, several devotees had crossed the Mahanadi River early in the morning to offer prayers at the shrine and take part in the holy rituals associated with Kartika Purnima. While returning in the evening, one of the boats lost balance and capsized due to overloading and the strong river current.

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