Three girls drown in water-filled ditch

The bodies of three minor girls were fished out of a ditch this morning in Kutubpur village of Bihar's Katihar district, a police officer said.

It seems the three girls, two siblings and their cousin, fell into the ditch, which was filled to the brim with rainwater, on their way to home from school, the sub-inspector of Manihari police station, Sunil Kumar, said.

"As there was no human habitation in the area, no one noticed the girls. Their parents had been looking for them since last evening. This morning, the bodies were found floating on the river," he said.

The deceased have been identified as Simran Khatoon (7), Ruksana Khatoon (9) and their cousin Nargis (8), he said, adding that bodies have been sent to Katihar Sadar Hospital for post-mortem.