Bhubaneswar, Aug 23: A 22-year-old YouTuber, Sagar Tudu from Berhampur in Ganjam district, has reportedly gone missing after being swept away by strong currents while filming at Duduma waterfall in Odisha’s Koraput district today.
Sagar had traveled to Koraput with his friend, Abhijit Behera from Cuttack, to shoot videos of local tourist attractions for his YouTube channel. The incident occurred in the afternoon as he was capturing drone footage near the waterfall.
According to reports, the sudden release of around 2,000 cusecs of water from the Machakunda dam—triggered by heavy rainfall in the Lamtaput area—led to a rapid surge in the waterfall's flow. Authorities had issued an alert to downstream residents prior to the release.
Sagar became stranded on a rock when the water level rose quickly. Despite efforts by nearby tourists and locals to rescue him, he was swept away by the powerful current.
Machakunda police and Fire Brigade personnel responded promptly and launched a search and rescue operation. However, as of the latest updates, he remains untraceable.
