Pratapgarh (UP), May 22 (UNI) Four minor girls, including three siblings, were drowned while taking a bath in a local river in the Maheshganj area of Pratapgarh district in Uttar Pradesh, police sources said here.

Police sources said that four girls from Jalalpur De Hawa village died after drowning while bathing in the Bakulahi river. "Among the girls who died by drowning, three are real sisters and one is a cousin. The four girls had gone to take a bath in the Bakulahi river at around 10 AM. While bathing they went into deep water and drowned," they said.

Police identified the deceased as Swati (13), her sisters Sandhya (11), Chandni (6) and cousin Priyanshi (7). "The police, who reached the spot after getting the information, took out their bodies from the river with the help of the rescue team," they said.

Meanwhile, Kunda MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias 'Raja Bhaiya' met the affected families and assured them of all possible help.

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