Five minor girls drowned in a pond today while four other minors were rescued by local people at Korthu of Bihar's Darbhanga district.
The incident occurred when the children had gone to take a bath in a village pond in the morning but the children slipped into deep waters and five of them met their watery grave while four others were rescued by local people, Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Mohammad Shafique said.
The bodies have been handed over to the relatives for cremation, he added.
The other four minors, who were rescued by local people, have been admitted to Ghanshyampur primary health centre, SDO said and added that two of them have been released by the doctors after first aid.
District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh has ordered for payment of Rs 4 lakh as ex-gratia to the next of the kin of those who drowned in the pond.
