An operation to rescue an elephant stranded in floodwaters went awry in eastern India on September 24, resulting in the death of a journalist.

A six member rescue team with two journalists set out on a raft to get a closer look at the elephant which was stranded under a bridge over the flooded Mahanadi river.

The elephant charged at them and the raft overturned in the commotion, throwing the men to water.

Ropes were lowered from the Mundali bridge overhead to rescue the team members, and Odisha TV reporter Arindam Das was caught on camera falling down after the rope lifting him snapped. He sustained severe injuries and died en route to a hospital, it has been reported.

The disastrous effort also left another journalist critically injured and a rescue team member has gone missing.

Lalit Mohan Panda, a wildlife activist at the scene, commented: “The rescue operation was poorly planned. Many did not even know how to swim and the rescue team had no business taking journalists with them.”

A rescue official said the current priority of the rescue work was to find their missing colleague, Sitaram Murmu, then save the elephant.

An attempt to rescue an elephant stranded in floodwaters went awry and resulted in the death of a television reporter in eastern India on September 24.

The disastrous effort left another journalist critically injured and a rescue team member has gone missing.

Odisha TV reporter Arindam Das was caught on camera falling down after the rope snapped during an effort to haul him up to safety from raging flood waters. His colleague, Prabhat Sinha, a cameraman, was pulled up safely as his rope held good.

The man falling is TV reporter Das. He did not drown but was badly injured. They retrieved him and took him to SCB Medical College in Cuttack. He was dead by the time he reached the hospital.

The two journalists had gone with a six member rescue team on a raft to get a closer look at the elephant, which is stranded in a flooded river. The elephant charged at them and the raft overturned in the commotion throwing men to water.

Lalit Mohan Panda, a wildlife activist, who is at the spot said: “The rescue operation was poorly planned. Many did not even know how to swim and the rescue team had no business taking journalists with them.”

Honorary Wildlife Warden Subhendu Mallik said: “The officials should have just managed the crowd and left the elephant to negotiate the current, which it is capable of. Sending a poorly trained rescue team on a mission impossible took a toll.”

A rescue official said the current priority of the rescue work was to find their missing colleague, Sitaram Murmu, man than save the elephant.

The elephant was part of a herd, which tried to cross the flooded Mahanadi river, on the morning of September 24. A few elephants were swept away by the strong current but managed to reach the shore safely. However, one of the herd members is still stuck in the water triggering the rescue effort.