YouTuber, 22, Missing After He Was Swept Away by a 500-Foot Waterfall While Filming a Video

NEED TO KNOW

• Authorities are searching for YouTuber Sagar Kundu after he was swept away by a waterfall current while filming on Saturday, Aug. 23

• Captured in a viral clip, the 22-year-old content creator can be seen standing in the current at the top of Duduma Waterfall before he evidently loses his balance and is taken by the powerful current

• Police said that they have recovered Kundu’s bag containing camera equipment as they continue to search for him five days after the incident, The New Indian Express reported

Authorities are searching for YouTuber Sagar Kundu after he was swept away by a waterfall current while filming on Saturday, Aug. 23.

In a viral clip, the 22-year-old content creator can be seen standing in the current at the top of popular tourist site Duduma Waterfall in Odisha, India, before he evidently loses his balance and is taken by the powerful current.

According to The New Indian Express, police said on Wednesday, Aug. 27, that a disaster management team and fire brigade were searching for Kundu, though he was still missing five days after the incident.

Per police, the outlet reported, Kundu had visited the waterfall to shoot several short videos. Though his friends repeatedly warned him about the strength of the current, Kundu stepped into the water anyway.

"Suddenly, there was a surge due to water being released from the Machkund Dam. Kundu was swept away by the strong currents, and those at the spot tried to rescue him but failed," police said, describing the moment captured in the viral clip, according to The New Indian Express.

"We have so far recovered a bag containing batteries and other equipment which he had thrown into the water moments before being swept away,” said Madhusudan Bhoi, Machkund Police Station inspector in-charge, per The New Indian Express. “The rescue operation in the hilly area has been challenging because of the rugged and rocky terrain and incessant rainfall.”

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Per the outlet, fire service officer Umesh Chandra Bagh said that they have requested that authorities who oversee the Machkund Dam, a section of the Machkund River upstream from Duduma Waterfall, to close its gates to the public while the investigation is underway.

“Once the water level recedes, it will help us carry out the search operation,” Bagh said, per The New Indian Express.

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