Bhubaneswar, Sep 24 (IANS): Two minor students drowned in a pond at Pokhariput in Bhubaneswar on Sunday. The victims have been identified as Rakesh Maharana (15) and Subham Jena (14), residents of Tarini Nagar Basti in Khandagiri area.

Both Rakesh and Subham were students of Gandamunda High School.

“Subham along with three other friends left home after returning from tuition. Few hours later, someone informed me that Subham was rescued from a pond at Pokhariput. I immediately reached the hospital but found him dead,” said a relative of Subham.

Meanwhile, a local claimed that the deceased students and their friends had gone to the pond to take a bath.

He said that Rakesh and Subham first dived in the pond. They might have stuck in the marshy bottom and failed to pull out of the water.

The students were later fished out of the water by local youths in the presence of police. They were rushed to Capital hospital where the doctors declared both 'brought dead'.

Case of two unnatural death (26/23 and 27/23) have been registered in this regard at the Airport police station.