Bhubaneswar, Jun 1 (IANS): Two college girls drowned while bathing at Aryapalli beach area in Odisha's Ganjam district on Thursday, officials said.
The deceased were identified as Swapnarani Pandit and Pragyan Rani Tripathy of Berhampur.
According to locals, six students were swept away by strong currents while taking bath in the sea on Thursday morning.
While villagers rescued four students, the body of Pandit was been fished out some time after the incident. However, the body of Tripathy was only found in the afternoon after a long search operation.
A Coast Guard aircraft was also deployed to trace it but failed. Later, the body was washed back onto the beach and fire service personnel retrieved it, an official said.