Kendrapada: A pilgrim couple from Andhra Pradesh drowned in Baitarani under Jajpur town police station limits on Thursday while taking a holy dip in the river. The deceased have been identified as M. Srinivas Sulu (58) and his wife M. Devi (56) of Palamaner village in Chittoor district.Police sources said the incident occurred around 11 am when seven pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh stepped into the Dasaswamedh Ghat of the river to take a bath after paying obeisance at Biraja temple. Both were quickly swept away by strong water currents. Hearing their frantic cries for help, nearby locals rushed to the bank to rescue them but could not. A local resident, Sahadev Dash, noted that a deep pit near the river’s entry point caused the victims to instantly lose their footing.Personnel from the fire brigade and locals conducted a search operation and retrieved both bodies from the river. The victims were taken to the district headquarters hospital at Jajpur town where attending doctors declared them dead on arrival. Police seized the bodies and transferred them to the hospital for autopsy. Both the bodies will be transported to their house in Andhra Pradesh, said IIC of Jajpur town police station Shibacharan Behera.