Basudevpur (Bhadrak): Two minor girls drowned in a pond at Arandua Mallik Sahi under Basudevpur block in Bhadrak district on Friday, triggering grief in the village.
According to reports, four to five children had gone to play near a pond in the morning and were searching for oysters. During this time, one of the girls accidentally slipped and fell into the water. Another girl, who was nearby, jumped in to rescue her but also slipped into the pond.
Hearing the alarm raised by the other children, villagers rushed to the spot and rescued one of the girls in an unconscious condition. She was taken to Basudevpur Community Health Centre, where doctors declared her dead. As the second girl was still missing, the fire brigade was informed. Fire services personnel later recovered her from the pond and rushed her to the medical facility, where doctors also declared her dead.
The deceased have been identified as the 10-year-old daughter of Satyabrat Barik and another minor girl, the daughter of Bijay Barik, both residents of the same village. Their deaths have cast a pall of gloom over the locality.
