Kendrapara (Odisha), Nov 21 (PTI) A driver of a vessel collapsed and died during the course of patrolling inside the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in Kendrapara district, an official said on Thursday.

The incident happened on Wednesday night, the official said. The deceased was identified as Chandan Maiti (56).

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"The body was sent to a hospital for a postmortem examination. The exact cause of the death will be ascertained after it," police said.

It is suspected that he had died of cardiac arrest, the police said.

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Notably, the state government has enforced a seven-month-long prohibition on sea fishing activity from November 1 within 20 km of the coast at and the river mouths of Dhamara, Devi and Rusikulya, as part of the annual Olive Ridley turtle conservation programme.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)