Bhubaneswar, Jan. 1 -- Dense fog over Odisha's Chilika Lake caused major disruption on Thursday, leaving a passenger ferry stranded in the middle of the lake for several hours and triggering a search operation after a passenger was reported missing.

The incident occurred while the ferry was travelling from Satapada to Jahnikuda, carrying around 50 passengers along with a passenger bus and two cars. According to reports, the ferry got stranded mid-lake as dense fog sharply reduced visibility, making navigation impossible. The vessel reportedly departed later than scheduled due to prevailing weather conditions.

Passengers onboard were left stranded for several hours amid low visibility. Anxiety grew after it emerged that a passenger had g...