BHUBANESWAR: Three members of a family including two minor boys drowned while bathing in the Ib river in Odisha's Sundargarh district, police said on Sunday.
The deceased were identified as brothers Muhammad Farhan (15) and Muhammad Rizwan (17), and their uncle Muhammad Sajid (35) of Sundargarh town.
All three had gone to the riverside for a feast on the occasion of Farhan's birthday on Saturday. After lunch, Sajid along with the two minors went to the river to take a bath during which they slipped into deep waters and drowned.
It is suspected that the trio got trapped in the shifting sand, a police officer said.
Three persons went missing while bathing in the river and their bodies were fished out on Sunday morning after a massive search operation launched by fire service and police.
Assistant fire officer, Ajay Kumar Barad, said the personnel of Sundargarh and Jharsuguda fire stations along with striking forces from Sambalpur and Bhubaneswar conducted the operation and fished out the bodies.
Victim-searching location cameras and scuba drivers were also engaged in the operation, he said.
After following due procedure, the bodies will be handed over to their family members, the police officer added.