Sundargarh: In a tragic incident, a 31-year-old man was electrocuted to death while allegedly fishing using an illegal method in the Ib river in Sundargarh district on Thursday afternoon. Two of his friends accompanying him narrowly escaped.

The incident took place in Kusumura village under Kinjirkela police limits. The deceased has been identified as Lokeshwar Guru, a resident of the same village.

According to reports, Lokeshwar and his two friends had gone to the nearby Ib river in the afternoon for fishing. The trio was allegedly using a generator to pass electric current into the water, as fish get stunned or killed on contact with electricity.

While they were engaged in the activity, Lokeshwar accidentally came in contact with the electrified water and suffered a severe electric shock. Seeing him struggling, the other two immediately rushed to switch off the generator kept on the riverbank.

However, by the time they managed to stop the power supply, Lokeshwar had already succumbed.

The two friends then rushed him to the Kinjirkela hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Following a complaint, police registered a case and initiated an investigation. The body has been sent to the Sundargarh District Headquarters Hospital for post-mortem.

Authorities are also likely to probe the use of illegal electric fishing methods, which pose serious risks to human life and aquatic ecosystems.