Three minor girls of Malda district went missing in the Ganga on Friday and were rescued the same day, but two of them died on Saturday.

The duo breathed their last at the Malda Medical College and Hospital (MMCH). The third girl is stable but still under observation at the MMCH.

Sources said on Friday, friends Sriparna Rajak, 10, Purnima Rajak, 10, and Koyel Rajak, 12, went to bathe in the Ganga at Shaktimandalpara of CharSujapur, a village under Baishnabnagar police station of KaliachakIII block. The trio went missing which some by-standers noticed.

They jumped into the river, pulled out the three unconscious girls and took them to a local health centre. When their condition did not improve, they were referred to the MMCH. On Saturday, Sriparna and Koyel died. Purnima is conscious .

A couple of weeks back, three brothers of the same area had drowned in the Ganga.

Mamun Akhtar, the BDO of KaliachakIII block, said families of the deceased girls would be compensated accord¬ng to the state’s guidelines. “People should stop their children from going to the river that has swollen during the monsoon,” he said.

People at large should be on the alert to avoid such mishaps.