BIRGUNJ: A tragic incident in Sugaulibirta, Birgunj Municipality-26, has left a local community in mourning after two young sisters, aged 5 and 3, drowned in a water-filled pit at an under-construction culvert.

The children, daughters of local resident Prabhu Thakur, went missing while playing outside their home on Monday evening, prompting an overnight search by family and police.

Local residents discovered their bodies on Tuesday morning inside the flooded construction pit along a farm track and notified authorities, after which the bodies were sent to Narayani Hospital in Birgunj for an autopsy.

Distraught locals criticized the responsible authorities for failing to set up proper safety barriers around the active construction area, while police confirm that a further investigation into the incident is underway.