PRATAPGARH: Four minor girls, including three sisters, drowned in the Bakulahi River on Thursday while collecting clay from the riverbed, police said.
The incident occurred around 11 am at Cheti Singh Ka Purwa village under the Kunda police station area, about 70 km from the district headquarters, said Additional Superintendent of Police (West) Sanjay Rai.
The deceased girls have been identified as Swati (13), Sandhya (11) and Chandni (6) - all sisters from Jalalpur Dihwa village and their neighbour, Priyanshi (7).
According to police, the girls had gone to collect clay from the river to plaster their kitchen and walls with mud, a traditional practice in rural households.
While digging near the bank of the river, the girls reportedly ventured into deeper water and drowned.
Other children present at the site raised the alarm, following which locals rushed to the spot and pulled the girls out, but by then, all four had died, officials said.
The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination, police added.