Berhampur (Odisha), April 7 Two girls drowned while bathing in a village pond in the Ganjam district of Odisha on Tuesday, police said.
The deceased were identified as Pranjali Dora (11), a class 6 student, and Manini Dora (12), a class 7 student, both residents of Patanda village in the Digapahandi police station area, a police officer said.
After returning home from school, they went to the village pond to take a bath like every other day. However, they slipped and fell into the deep water. Locals noticed them drowning and tried to rescue them, but they were unsuccessful, he said.
Fire brigade personnel from Digapahandi retrieved the girls after a two-hour search, and they were taken to a nearby community health centre, where doctors pronounced them dead, Kishor Kumar Samal, the officer-in-charge of the Digapahandi police station, said.
He said the bodies were handed over to the respective families after conducting post-mortem examinations at MKCG Medical College and Hospital here.
He said that unnatural death cases have been registered and an investigation has been launched.