Lumbini, May 21(RSS):Four girls drowned in a water pond in Lumbini Sanskritik Municipality-11 in Rupandehi today. They drowned in course of taking a bath in the Naukhaniya Pond based in Masina Gadidiya. The Area Police Office, Lumbini confirmed the tragic deaths of girls in the accident.

They are identified as Abida Khatun, 9, Sahima Khatun, and Mudina Khatun, both 10, and Sahiya Khatun, 14. The girls had reached the natural water pond at around 11:30 am. The pond lies some four kilometers in west from Lumbini and one kilometer far from the nearby village.

According to local representative Akaramaddin Khan who witnessed the incident said their efforts to rescue them alive went in vain. People including children from the nearby settlements frequently visit the pond for bathing. The entire village is in grief following the tragic deaths of four daughters. Until the filing of the report, preparations were underway to bring the bodies to Bhairahawa for post-mortem examinations. Among the dead, two are cousins