YouTuber Missing After Being Swept Over Waterfall During Shoot

A photography YouTuber in India was swept away by a waterfall while filming a video on his drone and remains missing days later.

Warning: Content that some viewers may find upsetting.

On Monday, 22-year-old Sagar Kundu was filming at the Duduma Waterfall in Odisha, amid strong currents. Widely shared footage online shows Kundu standing in the cascading water as a group of his friends desperately try to hatch a plan to save him.

A 22-year-old YouTuber, Sagar Kundu, from Berhampur was swept away by strong currents while filming a video at Duduma Waterfall under Machkund police limits. Rescue teams, including police, fire personnel, and ODRAF, continued the search on Monday, but he had not been found.… pic.twitter.com/Hn1OSbBl6a

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According to The New Indian Express, Kundu had wandered into the middle of the water while filming a live video. While trying to hold his ground, Kundu is swept away by the current as his friends cry out in despair.

Police say Kundu was at the popular tourist site to film several short videos and got himself into the precarious situation despite warnings from his friends about the force of the water.

“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 say, per The New Indian Express.

Yesterday (Wednesday), police confirmed that a disaster management team and the local fire brigade are leading the search effort. Kundu has been missing for five days.

Machkund Police Station inspector-in-charge Madhusudan Bhoi reported that some of Kundu’s belongings had been recovered. “We have so far recovered a bag containing batteries and other [camera] equipment which he had thrown into the water moments before being swept away,” Bhoi says. He added that the terrain and persistent rainfall have complicated the search.

Umesh Chandra Bagh, an officer with the local fire service, says they have asked dam authorities upstream to temporarily close access to assist with the operation. “Once the water level recedes, it will help us carry out the search operation,” he says.

Yesterday, PetaPixel revealed that India is the number one country in the world for selfie deaths — with the U.S. taking the number two spot on the list.