GORAKHPUR, Aug. 2 -- Three minor cousin sisters died after drowning in a drain in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar district on Friday evening. According to police, one of the girls accidentally slipped into the drain, while the other two jumped in to rescue her. All three were swept away by the strong current. Their bodies were recovered on Saturday morning after a nearly 12-hour search and rescue operation. The incident took place in Dubauli village under the Nebua Naurangiya police station limits in Kushinagar district. The deaths left the family devastated, while hundreds of villagers gathered at the spot after the bodies were recovered. Circle officer (CO) Virendra Singh said the deceased were identified as Sapna ,12, Kunjan ,11, and Shivani 8. The three girls were returning home after grazing cattle when they stopped near the Sudhira Drain to rest. During the brief halt, one of the girls accidentally slipped into the deep water and was swept away by the strong current. According to local residents, the other two girls panicked and jumped into the drain to save their cousin. However, they were also swept away and went missing. Villagers immediately informed the police, following which a search and rescue operation was launched with the help of local residents and district administration teams. Police officials said rescue teams carried out an intensive search for nearly five hours on Friday evening before suspending the operation because of poor visibility. The search resumed on Saturday morning with the help of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). After nearly four hours of fresh search efforts, all three bodies were recovered and handed over to the police for further legal proceedings. CO Virendra Singh said the bodies had been sent for post-mortem examination. "The matter is being investigated, and further action will be taken in accordance with the law," he said. Officials said the exact circumstances that led to the drowning were being examined. Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Rajeev Nigam assured the bereaved family of all possible assistance from the administration....