India, April 7 -- In a tragic incident, two minor schoolgirls drowned in a pond in Digapahandi block of Odisha's Ganjam district on Tuesday morning.Odisha tourism guide

The victims have been identified as Manini Dora (12) and Pranjali Dora, both Class 7 students and close friends. They were residents of Patanda village under Kusapada panchayat. According to reports, the girls had gone to a nearby pond for bathing, a routine activity in many rural areas. However, the situation turned fatal when they reportedly slipped on the pond's edge and fell into deeper waters.

Eyewitness accounts suggest that the girls struggled to stay afloat but were unable to rescue themselves. By the time villagers noticed the incident and raised an alarm, preci...