Rangpur, Sept. 30 -- What was meant to be a joyous wedding celebration turned into a tragedy when two cousins drowned in a pond in Rangpur Sadar upazila on Wednesday afternoon.

The deceased were identified as Rupa Rani, 10, daughter of Omala Rani from Champatali Mistripara village in Badarganj upazila, and her cousin Panchami Rani Roy, 8, daughter of Minati Rani Roy from Kachna village in Taraganj upazila.

According to family members and locals, relatives had gathered at Araji village for the marriage of local resident Ratan Chandra Roy.

The two girls went out of the house around 3:00pm on Wednesday. As they did not return even after a long time, family members initiated a search and eventually recovered their bodies from a local pond ...