Balasore/Keonjhar: The Ganesh Puja festivities in Odisha took a sorrowful turn on Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of a 14-year-old student and a 35-year-old teacher in separate incidents across Balasore and Keonjhar districts, according to police reports.

In Balasore, a class 9 student named Priyanshu Pritam collapsed while enjoying time with friends at Radhamadhaba Jew High School located in Podasul, under the jurisdiction of Nilagiri police.

Despite being rushed to the Nilagiri government hospital, he was pronounced dead upon arrival. Family members revealed that he had a prior history of heart-related issues.

Similarly, in Keonjhar, an assistant teacher named Chandan Kumar Jena collapsed unexpectedly while presenting flowers to a Ganesh idol at the Government Upper Primary School in Saleikena.

He was taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead by medical staff. The precise cause of his death remains undetermined. Jena hailed from Antarei village in Balasore district and is survived by his wife and a three-year-old daughter.